Thank you Netgalley for the arc! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but unfortunately, I found that this book needed more development. It is very obvious that this was originally fan fiction, which isn't bad but there are things to consider! The characters are not developed enough for me to care about their journey. It's easy to breeze over this in fanfic because readers are already well-versed in the universe and actively seeking fics with their favorite ship. In taking this work and publishing it into a book with original characters, that was lost here. There is also so much world-building shoved down your throat at the beginning of the novel, so with me already feeling detached from the characters, I kept wanting to DNF so often.

★ 3.5 / 5

I have conflicting opinions for The Hurricane Wars. On one hand, I loved the atmosphere and world building. Thea Guanzon has created a magnificent world for these characters, and I particularly enjoyed the technology (especially for war and suppressing magic), historical references, and influence of the environment on the world as a whole. However, I was not a big fan of the romance, which is extremely central to the plot. I didn't even realize this book was marketed as romantasy until I was a portion of the way into it. Because the romance is so in-your-face throughout the book, you can't really tune it out in favor of the positives I mentioned earlier. You'll be learning about a part of the Hurricane Wars' history and then BOOM Alaric or Talasyn is thinking about the other. I believe if you are a big romantasy fan over the political and environmental plots of this story, then you'll really enjoy it.

Now you might be wondering about my specifics for not enjoying the romance—well it comes down to the fcat that the relationship did not feel believable or natural at all. It felt forced. Talasyn and Alaric are marketed as enemies to lovers, but besides their initial two meetings, I'd argue they are never again enemies because the two cannot stop DROOLING over the other. It's the sort of situation where they are supposed to hate the other because they're on opposite sides of the war, but their attraction seemingly overrides their supposed dislike of the other. Alaric as the Night Emperor is the successor to his colonizing father's actions, but for some reason, Talasyn on multiple occasions ignores that fact even as she reminds herself of the pain his empire has thrust on her people. It was really abrupt and intense and again unbelievable. Alaric does show throughout the book that he detests the war and violence he's been forced to commit since he was a child, but again, there's still the bad taste in my mouth. I know this book is partially based off of the author's fanfiction of Rey and Kylo Ren, so I'm not sure if the author will ultimately follow the same trajectory where Alaric eventually changes sides and dies... but yeah there's just an icky feeling.

What I'm hoping for this sequel is a chance to broaden the magical knowledge of the characters as well as the settings. I'm so excited to see Alaric in the capital of the Night Empire alongside his father. We're definitely going to get tons more context about their relationship and its history. Maybe even Alaric will fight back, who knows? Moreover, I was Talasyn to explore her heritage and abilities. At the end, she talks with her grandmother about gaining access to all of their magical knowledge, and that really sets up the sequel in a perfect light—hopefully with more dragons too. The Hurricane Wars definitely felt like a setup novel to the actual plot in the sequel, so I'm very intrigued to see where the author takes readers next.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

♡ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 ♡
•pudding
•enemies to lovers - for real though
•elemental magic
•beautiful, complex world building
•marriage of convenience
•royal intrigue
•betrayal
•forced proximity
•you’re hot, but i still hate you
•slow……burn……

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚.”
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵.”

sheeeeesh, alaric and talasyn hate each other…or do they?! at the end of this book, i still don’t know and that’s why i loved it so much. if you’re looking for a TRUE enemies to lovers (?), look no further. this book is brimming with tension and angst and i am here for it. i honestly have no idea where this story is going and how these two are going to get past the obstacles that lie ahead. the amazing world building just added to my enjoyment of this book. i could feel the heat and humidity and taste and smell the food of nenavar as i was reading! this was truly such an immersive read and i’m so excited to see where it goes.

romance: cracked door

thanks to avon and harper voyager for an advanced copy. my thoughts are my own.

🥀The Hurricane Wars Review 📖

5/5 ⭐️

I have been in a book slump for a while, and this was the book to pull me out of it! Gosh, this debut novel was SO GOOD, I devoured it in just a few days.
It was a bit hard for me to get into at first, because I felt the scenes were way more descriptive than most books I read. Because of this I had a hard time imagining what was happening (you would think it would be easier, right 🤪), but it didn’t take long for that to resolve in my head!
I loved the enemies to lovers and cannot wait for book 2!

🥀3rd person, Dual POV
🥀Enemies to lovers
🥀Arranged marriage
🥀Royalty
🥀Magic
🥀War

First of all, I really enjoyed this story and the intro that explained where the story originated from was a nice start to better understanding the history of the lands.

I will say this book does hit in the should have been categorized as YA vs Adult book or at least of been New Adult. It just doesn't feel like the story is geared towards adult audiences. That being said, i really enjoyed the story.

I like the duel POV, Talysan learning more about her familiar history and herself. The world itself was immersive and well thought out and built in layers thoughout the story. It did not do an first book World info dump.

It gives Reylo Fan fiction and stears very much into those visuals for the characters. And it is very slow burn and very "no, i like you. No, i hate you" that just gave the YA vibes.

That being said i will read the second book and I hope that the action picks up the pace in book 2

I really enjoyed reading this! The magic system was cool, and I liked the dual POVs. I'm a huge sucker for books where he falls first and this did not disappoint. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series!! Will definitely be buying my own copy of this one!

Def enjoyed the enemies to lovers, reylo vibe of this. The inspiration of colonized Philippines mixed with their volatile weather in their island chain. Love when he falls first and she can't tell. He's just a mess internally and they are on opposing sides. Can't wait for book 2!

Thank you avonbooks

3.5 rounded up. This was a great debut, even if it started as fanficition. I enjoyed a lot of moments from the book and even saved some favorite quotes.

However, there was just a little something missing for me. There was a lot of telling and not showing and even some repeated phrases. I only see the author getting better and better eith each book.

This was a very true enemies to lovers and a very VERY slow burn. I enjoyed the setting and the magic system was interesting. Definitely get the star wars vibes with that for sure.

Will absolutely be reading the sequel. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the chance to read the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
This book didn't work for me but I could see it working for a lot of people. I'm finding more and more that I'm not the biggest fan of romantasy (books where romance and fantasy are equal in the plot). If you want a high stakes plot where the lovers are literally on opposite sides of the war, this is the book for you.

Maybe officially 3.5!

I really enjoyed this once I got into it, but it did take me a while to get into!

I thought the first 100 pages were too dense with paragraphs of world building to where I was pretty confused and never fully got a grasp on the world throughout the book.

I did LOVE the slow burn, enemies to lovers, the dragons, and the magic.

Darkness and light are eternal opposites but also forces that only truly exist thanks to the presence of the other. After all, what is darkness, without light to put it in? What is light without the dark to illuminate? These questions of balance and power run throughout Thea Guanzon’s deliciously entertaining fantasy debut, The Hurricane Wars, one of the buzziest genre titles of the year—and one that is sure to delight “romantasy” fans everywhere.

Set in a lush, Southeast Asian-inspired world, the story mixes complex high fantasy elements with familiar romance tropes and displays the sort of muscular emotional dexterity that can only come from an author who’s spent some significant time writing in transformative fandom spaces. With plenty of political intrigue, a vivid magical system largely inspired by weather and themes that touch on everything from imperialism and conquest to sacrifice and duty. (It’s also a banger of a love story, particularly if opposites attract, enemies to lovers, or marriages of convenience are your specific weaknesses when it comes to tropes. Or if you were a Reylo shipper, as the novel’s lead characters clearly owe more than a bit to the popular Star Wars duo.)

I was really looking forward to this title, but sadly, it wasn't for me. I had a hard time engaging with it-- the first 20% is dense in terms of worldbuilding, with paragraphs heavily laden with fantasy place names, people's names, technology and magic terminology... things that had meaning to the characters, but no meaning to me, the reader. It didn't grab me. I would most certainly recommend this to any fan of high fantasy, however. I think the stylistic choices that lost me are exactly what high fantasy readers gravitate towards. It could be an epic read for the right reader!

3 stars

This book is slow paced and slow burn romantasy and one major aspect to this book that I definitely enjoyed was the diversity and the setting being in Southeast Asia and also the him falling first trope! I did think that the world building was a bit confusing and I wished I could have sensed the chemistry between Talasyn and Alaric more (I didn't feel that connection as much as I would have liked). I will say that it is an easy read but takes time to get into the book. I wished I enjoyed this book more because it was part of my 2023 Romantasy Anticipated Read.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper and Voyager for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved loved loved this one! As an avid romantasy reader, The Hurricane Wars was exactly my cup of tea. I also love a good marriage of convenience trope. Thea Guanzon did an excellent job building an immersive world while keeping it romantic and spicy and filled with adventure. I can't wait for the follow up to The Hurricane Wars!

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked at about the 15% mark! The world building was vivid, I could really picture the different scenes and locations. The characters initially had me interested in how their stories would twist together, but unfortunately I feel like the author dropped the ball. After the first 1/4 of the book, there’s not much character development or plot progression. Often in epic fantasy, the first book in a series sets up the long game but The Hurricane Wars didn’t have enough depth for that to be the case. I found myself skimming pages because of the internal monologue repetition. Also, the “sizzling romance” that was promised doesn’t exist. It’s slow burn to the point of being aggravating. The book still got three stars from me because the beginning was enjoyable and I was invested in the relationship for the majority of the book.

Considering this was a highly anticipated read for me, it didn't necessarily disappoint. It is marketed as a high fantasy and that is something I like. It is a mix of romance and politics just like most high fantasy books tend to be before all the plot points come to a boil - Think of the first season of GOT which just establishes politics and romances before everything begins to really boil over in following seasons. That's what this book felt like and I didn't mind that.

This was a real disappointment…

I will preface this with I am neither a Reylo stan or hater. I never got into those Star Wars movies. I wouldn’t say that this fact plays a role in my opinion on the book, but who knows! Anything is possible. So I guess take it all with a grain of salt.

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Talasyn and Alaric. Personally, I didn’t care for either character. I honestly didn’t care for any of the characters in the story. The problem I had with the characters is that they all felt very cookie cutter. If I was listening to the audiobook for this I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart. The minor characters were devices to move the story along and didn’t really have a big impact. This is why a lot of the plot twists didn’t hit me with feelings. How can I have feelings for characters I just met or know nothing about? It was very much lost on me.

When it came to Talasyn and Alaric I never connected with either. They were kind of dull even though they had a lot of banter going on. I’ll agree with the other reviews that the surprise of their relationship is not as impactful because if you know anything about fanfiction they always end up together. Sure, there were some interesting ways to keep their budding relationship going, but there really wasn’t any chemistry. It was all thrown together in hopes you were a fan of Reylo.

The world-building started off strong since there is a lot of info-dumping in the beginning. I understood the basis behind the war and that there were two sides with pretty cool magical ships and abilities. Unfortunately, a lot of the world-building suffered as the book went on and I still had many questions that were left unanswered. It also just became a slog to get through and I had to push myself to finish while also skimming a few chapters.

Overall, this just wasn’t for me and it’s disappointing because it was a “most anticipated read”. I still really enjoy the cover and I am sure it will find its people, I am just not one of them.

This book was so much fun! Guanzon did a good job of bringing this story to life. I loved the new world they created in this book as I was hooked on it. I do have to say that it did take me a while to get into the story, but once you do it will be worth it. The book’s pacing is a bit slow but is action-packed with some great conflicts that the characters have the face. I enjoyed the world-building and the setting in which this book took place in. I really enjoyed the characters and the development that each of them had. I loved following Zane’s story and her story was a great mystery. The romance is enemies to lovers and let me say that it was just amazing. Guanzon did such an amazing job with the romance. I totally recommend checking this book out because let me tell you it’s worth the read.

Thank you netgalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book!

I had very high hopes for this read... but I won't lie about my disappointment in this one. I was expecting a sweeping fantasy with tons of world building and robust main characters. But I didn't really get that here. I found the main characters to be boring and the world building to be lacking. I'm not saying that it wasn't worth the read, I would definitely recommend it with reservations.

I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. The concept was unique and inspired, and I was fascinated by everything the author discussed in the author’s note. But the sweeping wartime romance she set up in said author’s note was not the one we got, which was contrived and lacking in nuance. The world-building was confusing; the first chapters (including what should have been an epic battle scene) were peppered throughout with info dumps aplenty; and the pacing was extremely inconsistent. It almost felt like one author wrote the author’s note and another wrote the bulk of the novel.

I also recently discovered this is basically Star Wars fanfiction repackaged with an alternate-fantasy-universe skin, and this explains SO MUCH. I’m not well versed in Star Wars lore, so I can’t help but wonder if having a better understanding of it would have helped my understanding of the analogous elements in this novel. Having said that, as an original work, it shouldn’t require prior knowledge of an unrelated universe just to grasp what’s going on.

Cool concept, underwhelming execution. It was one of my most highly anticipated reads for this year, but I was disappointed. There will be many people who love this book; I’m just not one of them.

Also, this book desperately needs a map included in the front material.