Windward
#8903.79 adjusted 3.85 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Unfinished 2000–2005 Reading commitment Low Dia Calhoun Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
Windward is the shared setting of two young-adult fantasy novels by Dia Calhoun, both published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Aria of the Sea (2000) follows Cerinthe Gale, a folk healer's daughter from the island of Normost who trains at the royal dance school in the capital, Faranor. The Phoenix Dance (2005), a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, is set in the same Kingdom of Windward; the author has said she chose that setting deliberately and that a character from the first book appears briefly. The books can be read separately, and no further Windward novels have been announced.
Fairy-tale retelling · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Windward Dia Calhoun
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Aria of the Sea | 2000 | 1 | core | 3.86 (741 ratings) |
 | The Phoenix Dance | 2005 | 2 | core | 3.70 (634 ratings) |
Two stand-alone young-adult fantasy novels sharing the Kingdom of Windward, one about a dancer-healer and one retelling the twelve dancing princesses.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Windward? Windward's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Windward? Publication order, starting with Aria of the Sea. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Windward finished? Unfinished (2000–2005).
- How much reading does Windward take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Windward ranked? #890 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,375 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #890?
Ranked #890 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.79 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,375 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.06 behind #889, Thessaly.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Unfinished · 1k ratings · Ranks #890 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Aria of the Sea (2000)
- The Phoenix Dance (2005)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Children's Literature), 2001: won: Aria of the Sea
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Windward and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Magic Moon Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- Toads and Diamonds Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.74
- A Study in Drowning Dark fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.66
- Six Crimson Cranes Fairy-tale retelling / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.07
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.79 across 1,375 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes, among them The Ordered and Reflections of Eterna; four candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Author site, Aria of the Sea Tier 2
- Interview with Dia Calhoun Tier 2
- Kirkus Reviews, The Phoenix Dance Tier 2
- Mythopoeic Society 2001 awards Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = the novels Aria of the Sea (2000) and The Phoenix Dance (2005), both set in the Kingdom of Windward.