Ummmmm THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE. It exceeded all my expectations and is definitely going to make it into my top ten favorites this year.

I went into it knowing it had Reylo (Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars) vibes, and the book did not disappoint!! It has true enemies-to-lovers perfection with a cat-and-mouse theme, but without the hate and with all the spectacular banter and stolen looks and touches. I truly was drawn into Talasyn and Alaric and their chemistry from the beginning. And HOLY SMOKES does the book take a delicious turn with my FAVORITE trope!! I won't say what since it could be considered a spoiler, but once I realized where this book was going, I could NOT put it down. Also Alaric is perfection, and I'm claiming him as my new book boyfriend.

This book caught me in a chokehold, and not just from the romance perfection. I really enjoyed the world building and plot, and how these interconnect with Talasyn and Alaric. There's so much I want to know about the world, and I can only imagine how much bigger everything will get in book two. This book does place more of a focus on the romance over plot, so keep that in mind! I think this book will do very well with romantasy lovers, and although the book isn't perfect, I had the BEST time reading. Instantly preordering the UK edition because I can't resist.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you, Harper Voyager, for the arc!
Release Date: October 3, 2023

Trigger/Content Warnings: war violence and death, parent abandonment, one open door

I was really excited to have received a review copy of The Hurricane Wars. It has so many ytopes that I am a huge fan of like enemies to lovers, political intrigue, marriage of convenience, detailed magical system, and more!

Unfortunately, I almost didn't make it through the entire book. It was a little rough going in the beginning, and the only reason I kept pushing through instead of not finishing it, was because I really liked the worldbuilding and the plot and I wanted to see what would happen. Not only that, but the author is a really great writer. Maybe if there can be a few more edits to the beginning so it flows better and it isn't so confusing!

I eventually DNFed this book about 120 pages in, and I struggled HARD to make it to those 120 pages. When I first read the concept of this book, I was so excited. I thought it sounded amazing. And then I learned it was Rey/Kylo fan fic. I have not watched any of the modern Star Wars movies, but I decided to give this book a shot instead.

The first 50 pages felt like nonsense to me. There was so much language used that was created for the world, but nothing was explained. It truly felt like the author wrote a scene to start her fan fic, and then to make sure it didn't violate copyright when publishing, just ctrl+f-ed all Star Wars-related words and swapped them out for new ones. It felt like I was reading a book in a world I was already expected to know. This was very different than other SFF books that jump right in and expect you to figure it out, and I can't really put my finger on why.

The writing style really got to me. The author loves long sentences and writes in a very flowy, natural thought way, but this made it difficult to follow. I constantly found myself reaching the end of a sentence and realizing I didn't remember what the first half of the sentence was getting at. I felt myself questioning my own reading comprehension skills at some point.

I honestly can't even address the characters or the plot, because these two previously discussed issues made it near impossible for me to really understand what I was reading. When I was trying to decide if I should DNF, enough reviews told me that this was much. more of a romantasy than a fantasy book with romance, and I decided it was just not for me. I know this is highly anticipated for a lot of people, and it has a lot of great reviews, so I would say if you're a romantasy reader who doesn't mind reading published fan fic, give it a shot. But I have realized that it is not for me.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hurricane Wars is a fantasy romance reminiscent of Star Wars with an enemies to lovers Reylo dynamic/relationship.

Umm first of all, why did you have to make my cry in chapter 3???? Was that necessary???

The Hurricane Wars is very fast paced. The Hurricane Wars have been going on for a decade but ended 30% into the book. The first 35% is a LOT of world building, war, and magic and it’s hard to get into. But you have to stick with it because as soon as I hit the 35% mark, I was much more invested.

Talasyn has been through so much and I just wanted to give her a hug. Towards the end of the book she grew a backbone and I wanted to CHEER for her. As much as she wants to hate Alaric, he’s so good for her (at some points) and makes her feel seen like she never has before.

Alaric has been manipulated by his father for his entire life and is struggling to rectify what he wants compared to his fathers wishes.

The romance is the backbone of the book. It focuses on the back and forth of their feelings and struggling to accept that she likes him when she is supposed to hate him, and vice versa. These two are absolute idiots but in a good way. They are so passionate about their hate for each other they start to like one another eventually but won’t admit it. It’s such a great enemies to lovers because they’ve actually fought each other on the battle field and are true enemies. Ahhh but the tension and little moments had me wanting to scream “just kiss already!” The idiots are so attracted to each other but both think the other doesn’t feel the same way. I wanted to shake them lol. You have to wait for the spice but it’s SO WORTH IT.

I didn’t know this book was marriage of convenience going into it and I almost screeched in excitement when I found out. This is one of my favorite tropes and is set up for an amazing story with how much they are true enemies. It’s not just that they are from rival kingdoms, but it’s they that are enemies from opposite sides of the war who fought each other on the battle field.

While the world building was beautiful, there was a lot in the firs third and I struggled to grasp it all at once. It’s very complex as this is very much a high fantasy book with lots of descriptions of the world and magic. I also struggled a bit to visualize their ships.

I really enjoyed this book and I’ll definitely be reading the next one. I just wish that the beginning had been paced a little better, but I get it because it set up the main character’s dynamic for the rest of the book.

Things to expect:
- Light vs Dark/Good vs Evil
- Dual POV
- Star Wars-esque
- Enemies to lovers
- Marriage of convenience
- Political intrigue
- Brutal war
- Spice: 2/5

This new slow burn enemies to lovers romance takes place in a unique fantasy world forged by magic and science. The story follows our two enemies - Tala, our petulant and abrasive heroine, and Alaric, our brooding and calculating prince, from when they first meet on the battlefield on opposing sides until they are forced into a royal alliance to save the world. The characters were well developed and interesting enough that you want to root for them. While the enemies to lovers vibes this book gave were perfectly sizzling but also had a great build that will leave readers frustrated but also gasping for more.

I had a difficult time getting into the book as I felt the first half was moving so slow and I had a hard time imagining the world. About halfway through the book started to pick up and the plot started to thicken enough to keep me engaged. Additionally, I felt like the ending was not satisfying for me and made this book feel more like a build book that is needed to build toward a great sequel but on its own, has much left to be desired. I think my rating on this book could change after I have read more of the series and can get a feel of whether there was enough bread crumbs left in this book to elevate the series.

I enjoyed the play on light and shadow magic as well as how the magic seems to be more of a science in this world with the research to determine how to manipulate the magic into different devices. I thought it a more unique approach to the magic system and am curious to see what else we discover in this series. The author did an amazing job tying together the magic into the world that she built with magical creatures as well as the myths and astronomical phenomenons.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci fi vibes but is looking for a more magical fantasy book or anyone looking for a great slow burn enemies to lovers romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with this eARC for my honest review!

The Hurricane Wars is an enemies-to-lovers epic fantasy story featuring storm magic, south asian-inspired locations, and an arranged marriage trope.

This is true enemies-to-lovers and does what the best ETL does: it's a sloooooow burn. The banter was excellent, and Thea is a master at describing attraction when you really really don't want to be attracted to the other person at all. Alaric and Talasyn are both sexy dumbasses about each other, and I loved it. I also love the queen and how I know she's likely going to be Talasyn's personal antagonist throughout the rest of the series.

You can tell this was formerly a fanfic (one I've read and loved and still have on my Kindle, incidentally) because the world building in the beginning was the weakest part of the book only because of how long it is. (The original fanfic plot started around chapter 10 of THW.) There's so much to establish, so many names to remember, and it's tough going through the first 10 or so chapters. That being said, I loved it anyway.

Have I pre-ordered three copies of this? Yes. Am I anxiously waiting on the other two installments? Also yes.

Thank you to HarperCollins for the ARC!

4/5 stars.

Overall for a debut, this one was pretty good! Not solid, but decent enough. I’m gunna be honest with y’all - I almost DNFd this one a few times in the beginning because I was SO annoyed with how the author wrote the magic system/magic world at first. It’s a super cool concept but the amount of unnecessary terms for magic things and places was unreal and super confusing. And I’ve read a ton of fantasy in my life and it doesn’t need to be this way lol. I pushed through and by 35-40% I could grasp it enough to keep going. And by the end I really loved the world, but the intro was rough to get through.

What I liked:
- The writing was AMAZING and so lyrical and descriptive
- The world was super cool and unique
- Loved the magic system even though it was hard to grasp at first
- Normally not a slow burn romance fan but this book did it super well, the tension was excellent especially for true enemies to lovers!

What I didn’t like:
- Pacing!! This book def could have been shorter, too.
- While the writing was beautiful, it definitely got to a point where there was too much filler and I just wanted to get back to the main story
- There were a lot of great side characters that fell super flat once the main romance started

All this being said, I’m excited to see more work by this author once she refines her pacing. 3.5 stars, generously rounding up!

🌈 Queer rep: none! Which is a bummer cause I feel like there was SO much room for secondary queer characters

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Talasyn is a soldier for the Sardovian army and an orphan with a rare, hidden light magic. On the other side of the Hurricane Wars is Alaric, the heir to the Night Empire and wielder of shadow magic. The two meet on the battlefield and soon find their powers interact in strange, fascinating ways. When part of Talasyn’s past is revealed, they are forced into an uneasy and tumultuous alliance, especially as new dangers loom on the horizon.

This was an odd book. For the most part I enjoyed reading it despite my many questions, and I think that it’s apparent that Guanzon knows what she wants out of her story. The Hurricane Wars blends science fiction, fantasy, romance, and political intrigue throughout the narrative, though I think the level of success will depend on a variety of factors. I really enjoyed Guanzon’s writing style; it was familiar to me and I do tend to prefer prose that is on the more ornate or purple side of things to windowpane or otherwise simplistic writing. There are definitely times when sentences and paragraphs feel like they never end, and while I enjoyed the writing, it ultimately does contribute to the book feeling quite dense despite being tonally casual. Sometimes I thought there was an overabundance of italicized words, but all things considered it didn’t bug me too much. As a person who does enjoy sci-fi, I liked that this was a science fantasy. I liked that we got both Talasyn and Alaric’s POVs and thought that it added some depth to the narrative. I also really liked the setting and seeing Talasyn have to adapt to the pretty significant life developments she experiences, and I am looking forward to where this series is going.

I had three main qualms with The Hurricane Wars, but I do think it’s a YMMV situation for all of them. The first is that in terms of thematic complexity, I felt like Guanzon had stopped digging right before things got really interesting, at least on a political level. Though it was dense I enjoyed the first half of this book, and was hoping that the second half would go deeper into that foundation. Instead, while the book picked up and felt much more straightforward, it switched gears to focus on Talasyn and Alaric’s relationship. I am, however, hopeful Guanzon digs deeper into her world and the complexity it has the potential to explore in the sequels, so I am not as bothered about this as I could’ve been. I do see a lot of potential here, especially around colonialism and empire, and I am curious to see how that plays out.

The second is that I had some trouble getting into the romance. This is by all definitions an enemies to lovers story, but I had a lot of trouble buying into it. Yes, these two hate each other and yes, even when they feel attracted to one another they are uneasy with their feelings, but their hate felt much too personal considering what was actually shown on page. I never felt like there was genuine hatred beyond “this person represents all the things that have gone wrong in my life during this war.” For enemies to lovers romances I do want to see a personal grudge between characters. Besides that, I was often left unsure how we got from hating one another to thinking of them constantly or hoping they didn’t get hurt, so I thought the switch from enemies to lusting after one another to be too fast. I didn’t personally find this a slow burn (or at least a slow enough burn for the tropes involved) and I did spend a lot of time wishing they had been enemies for longer and that the foundation of their hatred had been built up more. I think part of the appeal of enemies to lovers is the whole “we’re not so different” aspect, but I didn’t ever feel like we saw that except for in fits and spurts. I generally enjoyed both Talasyn and Alaric separately, but felt pretty meh about them together (and… the dirty talk wasn’t for me. Sorry.). I’m also interested in seeing what it means to love your enemy. There’s a lot of interesting tension that could be explored between Talasyn and Alaric if we saw Talasyn interact with literally anyone from Sardovia that was not her commanding officer. We get a little of that with Alaric, but I would’ve liked to see more about the consequences of it all.

The third is that apart from the very lovely setting, a lot of the world building did not land for me. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the biggest is that I felt like I was dropped into the action immediately with little to no foothold. I don’t usually mind when books do this because I think it’s fun to have information slowly revealed, but those reveals never happened. I still don’t fully understand what an aetherheart is. Or what a nexus is. This is a book with a significant amount of political maneuvering, but I never got a grasp of any of the politics outside of Nenavar besides “Kesath bad” and “everyone else good” and “YOU were fed propaganda, actually,” which felt strange. I do think that Nenavar was well-developed and I enjoyed seeing Talasyn try to learn court politics, I just wish there had been nuance present for either of the nations actually at war with each other and that their politics were painted in anything more than broad strokes. A lot of the characters outside of Talasyn, Alaric, and Urduja felt flat or one beat to me, and I particularly had a problem feeling any emotion about Talasyn’s best friend. The pacing is also a little all over the place, but I ended up not noticing that as much. Also, I wish there had been more dragons, and in a meaningful way.

This feels like a lot of complaining for a book I ultimately liked and gave three stars to (a good rating!!!). The Hurricane Wars was particularly difficult for me because I don’t have a Star Wars background and yet I could still tell that the novel started as Star Wars fanfiction. I don’t know why Talasyn and Alaric are attracted to each other, I don’t understand the magic in this world, I don’t understand the politics of anywhere besides the place we spend the bulk of the novel, and that country is not even a participant in the titular world. These are things you can get away with in fic because what makes fic work hinges on a common knowledge of a specific fandom that allows for some hand waving and broad strokes when it comes to characters and world building. It takes a lot of work to adapt to original fiction because you have to build a foundation that you had previously assumed was there for your readers. I don’t think Guanzon did a great job bridging that gap, which is a shame because I think this would be really great if she had. I went into this really hoping it’d be a home run, and while the first pages immediately clued me into the fact this was originally fanfiction based on style and tone did not set off alarm bells (this is a style I usually enjoy!!!), I was disappointed to find that this mostly read like I was reading fic for a fandom I’m not in (which is true).

Still. I do think a lot of the issues I had are personal ones; it seems that many have loved the romance and the novel in general, I just wish I did, too. I think this will work for many people, especially people who feel a spark between Talasyn and Alaric, and I’m still very curious to read the next installment. I will still pick up the sequel for this, but at the end of the day, while I liked The Hurricane Wars and it held my attention, I found this one to be flat.

I really enjoyed this book! I've seen a lot of reviews say this reminds them of/was inspired by Reylo, which I can't speak to that comparison because I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies.

I loved the characters, Talasyn was so sassy and strong willed, and Alaric is so complex, you can tell he really struggles with who and what he wants to be, while his father clearly wants him to be exactly like him. They felt like real people with real emotions and thoughts, and I loved getting a dual POV to really see what they were thinking about! I also loved that it showed how differently they each interpreted the others actions and words in what I felt was a pretty realistic approach to the miscommunication trope. Also, the slow burn was KILLING me! I loved the tension between Talasyn and Alaric, and I'm absolutely shipping the two of them together.

I found the Filipino-inspired world fascinating, although I will say it took me a few chapters to wrap my head around the technology used in a fantasy setting (I'm used to less technology in fantasy) so I would personally say this is more of a blend of both fantasy and sci-fi, instead of a typical straight fantasy novel. Once I got my bearings, I loved the way the technology was blended with the magic, especially in Nenevar where it really blended into the magic and the nature of the Queendom.

After the way this book ended, I've got to say that I'm absolutely DYING for the sequel because I just need to know what happens next! I highly recommend this book, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting a physical copy (or two).

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was so frustrated by Alaric and Talasyn being proud and difficult, but that's exactly what was supposed to happen. There are also very interesting challenges with family and duty, etc. There is a lot more to this book than just the title of "published Reylo fiction." I really really enjoyed it.

The only thing I wished for, which is what makes it 4.5 stars for me, is that part 1 had a lot of political intrigue and interesting, complex characters, whereas part 2 seems to focus mainly on the *SPOILER AHEAD* arranged marriage and Alaric and Talasyn specifically. I hope as the books progress, we get back into the actual Hurricane Wars and what is happening with the other characters that we were introduced to and whom I would love to know more.

Very much so looking forward to people reading and loving this book. Also looking forward to book 2-whenever that will be. :)

Started reading this book and I thought it was heading in a very good direction until that first fight between Talasyn and Alaric. She started thinking about in a romantic sort of way at which point I knew I was reading romance fantasy. I don't like fantasy romances in general but there did seem to be a cool magic system and the fight scene was ok as well. So kept reading and can't say I was interested fully in the romantic stuff as they didn't know anything about each other and still kept wanting to hate each other but were denying the attraction they were feeling for each other. Talasyn was young and also was fighting a war so not much time to be learn about those types of things. Alaric is sort of the same except he was learning to be soldier or warrior and duties of being a heir to his kingdom. So, both of them are rather naive when it comes to feeling and sort of thing. The magic system was discussed but not info dumped in one large amount. Would like to learn more how the magic works and not just the light and shadow magics. The world itself is much broader than we have seen so far but they seem to more about the world and hopefully we will get to travel a little more in this world. Dragons are always cool to have and there are possibly other creatures to discover later. The machines and science that comes from the magic is interesting and wonder how advanced other countries are in this world. So many possibilities for this story and world to come. Those that like romance fantasy will like this book but I know a great many will not even want to try reading this book. I tried it and found that I liked most of it surprisingly. Three and a half stars for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I knew very little about The Hurricane Wars going in, other than it sounded interesting. But just before I started reading, I happened to find out that this was Reylo fic, a dynamic I tend to avoid. However, I was somewhat reassured by the introductory “Behind The Hurricane Wars,” where Thea Guazon explored her inspiration in her family history in the Philippines , reckoning with the country’s volatile weather and the history of colonialism, and war. It was this that persuaded me to go on, and what I had hoped for when I originally requested the book anyway.
And while there are some obvious nods to her other inspirations if you know to look for it, I could easily take it at face value for its own thing, especially when the world building does for the most part deliver on that introductory promise. There’s a great infusion of Filipino culture throughout, from the depiction of the intense setting, to legends and history to more “simple” things like clothing and food. It’s intricate and detailed, to the point of being more or less transportive.
The characters were pretty solid. I actually felt their dynamic wasn’t bad here, but I always tend to like the fantasy variant of “enemies-to-lovers” more. I do like that, in spite of their initial surface-level differences, Talasyn and Alaric do have a lot of deeper parallels in how their past traumas have impacted them, and are a lot alike in ways that truly matter. While it’s definitely a situation where “your mileage may vary,” in terms of how much the Reylo influences bother you, I feel like Guanzon did manage to make this enough of its own thing, while also understanding how to use the tropes she was working with to the greatest effect.
The story was pretty interesting, even if it was pretty tropey. I did feel like the pacing was a bit off at times, especially early on, with some of the time jumps. And while the story starts very strong with action, the narrative does sag in the middle. While it does serve some of the romantic development, with Talasyn and Alaric coming together during this part of the book, I do feel it could have been tightened up for a punchier effect.
In spite of some of the issues I had, I did like this book overall, and look forward to reading more in the series. If you’re looking for more romantic fantasy/fantasy romance, I’d recommend checking this out!

Officially obsessed and I know other fantasy lovers will be too! This was a great first in the series, lots of worldbuilding and political set ups but I can't wait for the next one. The tension between the two main characters was amazing, definitely a slow burn but worth it. Looking forward to the rest of this series!

OH MY GOD I didn’t even know that I was waiting for this book for over 4 years. The original ff was what got me out of my high school reading slump, and into the reader I am today. I cannot put into words how much this fic means to me, and this book was just as phenomenal if not better.

The first few chapters of world building were a bit slow, but it quickly swept me up and I could NOT put it down. Seriously, i sat on my couch and didn’t eat for like 4/5 hours to finish this book. It’s that good.

The story has been changed for the better through trad pub, the pacing and relationship is much better, and OH the tension.

The enemies? Enemy-ing. The ‘to’? TENSIONING. The lovers??????? Oh my god.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series. I think it was a great idea to break up the fic since it was so long, and gives more time and space to become its own story since the og fic was SO steeped in cannon, im excited to see where this goes.

100% recommend. It’s the perfect fall romantasy

I was 99% sure I was going to love this book, and I 100% did. I've been an avid fan of Thea Guanzon's work for several years, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that she'd taken her previous masterful work and absolutely transformed it into something new and different while maintaining all the things she does wonderfully. This story felt fresh and exciting and I'm looking forward to reading it over and over.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fleshed out fantasy world of Hurricane Wars. Everything felt so tactile and real. I think some readers who are used to more fast-paced romantasy may struggle through some of the worldbuilding at the start, but I found the payoff of the story to be absolutely worth the slower beginning. I appreciate that the story isn't just a romance with a backdrop of vague conflict. The stakes felt genuine, and the struggles of the main characters only made the romance that much more toe-curling (and it was EXTREMELY TOE CURLING). I was kicking my feet by the end, and I cannot wait to get to the next installment of The Hurricane Wars!

I had a great time with this and am excited for what's to come with this series. While it did start off with some intense world building and info dumping (which I see from reviews this is where people ended up DNFing), I still found myself intrigued enough to continue on and I'm so glad I did! The writing is incredibly descriptive. When it picks up, I found myself eager to learn more about our main characters, Talasyn and Alaric. Their dynamic is very much push and pull which got tiresome at times, but its expected for an "enemies to lovers" book and the start of a series.

The magic system is a lot and I still find myself wondering how it all works since it is very technical with names and different groups (lots of characters to keep track of). Overall, a great start and the last 15% was a rush!

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon wants to be a love story, but it doesn’t feel like one. By the end of the book, very little romantic progress has been made and the character development is alarmingly static. No one seemed to gain any ground for so long that the story felt like a storm building off-shore but failed to make landfall.

After a decade-long war, Kseath dealt a devastating blow to Sardovia, and the country is in the midst of losing another critical territory. As the battle rages on, Talasyn tries to retreat and accidentally reveals her Lightweaver abilities during a confrontation with the Kseath crown prince, Alaric Ossinast. As far as Kseath is concerned, they eradicated every Lightweaver years ago, and Talasyn’s light is one more that must be put out. However, each time that Talasyn and Alaric clash, their hatred softens to reveal a mutual curiosity. Despite their conflicting loyalties, the two enter a volatile alliance to serve their end goals, but there is little room for trust after a life of so much destruction.

While I’m a sad, delulu Reylo shipper, this book worked hard to confirm my suspicions that this is a story inspired by my favorite Star Wars couple. Here’s my evidence. The story features a dark prince with exceptional shadow magic skills, and he meets his opposite and equal in an untested girl with light powers who is her country’s last hope. Talaysn is supported by Leia, I mean, a veteran female general who is training her and guiding her journey. Alaric is influenced and ruled by Snoke, ahem, his father who admonishes Alaric’s weakness and pushes him to further their terrible reign. Don’t even get me started on Alaric’s character description which is literally Adam Driver, y’all. Down to the leather gloves and the beauty marks on his face. I swear this book wanted to explore a world where Rey and Kylo were forced to work together, but even my love for those two could not overcome my struggles with this book.

Prepare yourself for the info-dumping avalanche that buries you thoroughly at the beginning of this book. As fantasy readers, we expect the entry into a new world to be slow going, but the amount of world-building here was smothering. In the beginning, Guanzon writes like she is running out of time and space. It forces the reader to digest almost every single detail about the world, the war, the opposing sides, the technology, and the magic system within the first couple of chapters. This info is often delivered via long, overly descriptive sentences—I counted one instance containing more than 80 words. Part one of the book is anxiety-ridden. It trips over itself and tries to cover as much ground as possible so it can get to the romance arc in part two. I can tell Guanzon was in a rush because the writing completely changed in the second half. The goal of part one was to get all the worldbuilding out of the way so we could focus on what’s really important—Rey and Kylo ending up together.

Part one gave me the impression that a lot of time was spent crafting the magic system, but the story doesn’t give it the time of day. All the elements are there for the magic system to be this incredible living and breathing thing but it falls dead in the water. Guanzon opens the book by sharing how her magic system was important and that it served to capture the unique, tumultuous weather of the Philippines and its effects on its people. However, the story doesn’t focus on the magic. It’s a story about Talasyn and Alaric navigating a world together when they both have very different end goals. As a result, the magic and all the technology that springs from it just become tools for them to use. As evidenced by the early info dumping, the magic system is there to set the stage but its relevance started as a hurricane and got downgraded to a tropical storm.

The Hurricane Wars struggled under the weight of its heavy-handed worldbuilding and suffered from a forgotten magic system and two main characters that dominated the story with their awkward dance. Their swinging pendulum of emotions and stunted dialogue was difficult to sit through, and unfortunately, no amount of Reylo references could keep me invested in this strange romance.

Rating: The Hurricane Wars - 5.0/10

Reading The Hurricane Wars was like coming home—all the references to Filipino mythos, Southeast Asian food and nature definitely set the stage, but the story is rich, lush, and amazing. This is enemies-to-lovers at its best—light vs. dark; arranged marriage; political alliances and strategy; sweeping, epic fantasy—just the right about of heat for a slow burn. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut and can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy.

The Hurricane Wars is easily one of the most intriguing fantasy romance books out there! Pay close attention to the letter about the "Behind the Hurricane Wars" . Thea pulls her heritage from the Philippines into the story in such a bold, beautiful and devastating way, it gripped me from beginning to end. The world building is simply exquisite.

Now let's talk characters!! Fans of enemies to lovers, this pair of idiots!! Goodness, I love them!!! They are both so rigid in their view points and beliefs. TRULY enemies. The tension leaps off the pages and had me groaning in frustration. The way I cheered every time one more little piece of their walls came down. The magic system is very unique, the political conflicts balance the romance parts perfectly. Highly looking forward to where the story goes next!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Orphan girl, Talasyn, finds her real family and is forced to face her mortal enemy, the prince of the Night Empire.

As an SJM and JLA fan, I was excited to get the ARC of this book. The beginning world building was immersive and thrilling. I struggled putting it down. About 40% through, I became bored. I love a good slow burn love story but this was a bit too slow. I didn't feel attached to the characters and struggled with the complex names and places.

Although I wasn't crazy about The Hurricane Wars #1, because of the ending, I will continue reading the series. Overall, I'd give this a 2.5.