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.

I loved this book! I am a huge reylo rat and I am obsessed with the fanfic to published book pipeline. That said, I’ll admit that this book is very slow to start and at times has some awkward language. Thea has such an enchanting way of world building, but sometimes her sentences can drag on and become too wordy and elaborate. There’s a fine line between vivid and overly descriptive, and there are a few times when I think she steps over that line, especially in the beginning. I think she does this to separate THW universe from Star Wars, and sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.

The book really doesn’t pick up until about 35% of the way in, but the payoff is totally worth it!!! Alaric and Talasyn are such compelling characters. Their connection felt so tender, and the vulnerable moments between them really made the whole book. Their enemies to lovers journey had so much tension, and I was fully invested in all the reasons why they kept each other at arms length. They are so enticingly stupid and loving and affectionate and shy!!!! I’m obsessed. Also bonus points for the south East Asian representation, especially her lovingly wrought scenes of food. I loved that she used food as a way to connect them, too.

A part of me wishes that she had cut out some of the world building in the beginning so we could have gotten to their relationship more quickly, but with the context that this is going to be a series, I suspect that once all the books are out, I’ll feel like the development of their relationship was more well placed. Their separation at the end left me excited for the next installation!

Overall, I felt like this was a strong start to a series. As an independent book, I wanted a little more from it, but I’m still holding out hope.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me with an arc of this book!!

I loved the Reylo vibes of this one!!!!

I loved the world building though I will say I struggled with it in the beginning, it felt like we were kinda THURST into this world and expected to swim, but somewhere around 20% I started to understand a bit better! And the romance really kicked so I stared to love it!

Amazing 😍

disclaimer: it’s been almost three months since i read this so take this review and the little details with a grain of salt, because i’m writing this purely based on memory alone (and the few notes i took while reading this).

in short: lemme check off what all this book had. purple prose? check. enemies to lovers? check (if you wanna call going from wanting to kill each other to kissing each other in one single moment “enemies to lovers”, then yes). reylo fanfic? check (and read like it too, many times, so bear in mind). fantasy romance? check check check.

this took me SUCH a hugely long time to warm up to. the starting was so info-dumpy that my head was spinning and i was bored to death — all i was wondering was when this torture was gonna end. well, it did. around 25% in — by which case i’d have already dnfed had this not been an arc. i had to slog through 100 pages and it took me 5 days. 5 DAYS, y’all. and if you know me you know i can read 500 pages in a day. the pacing was absolutely a mess and i totally get why so many dnfed this before the 15% mark — this was just too tough to get into.

the writing was also rather… too flowery, as if the author’s trying too hard. there were so many extra sentences which were so unnecessary and it felt like she was increasing the page count and number of words just to appease someone — to which i’d say, PLEASE DON’T. the author really loves describing things in agonizing detail and it boggled my head.

the enemies to lovers “progression”?? nonexistent. as soon as i start thinking i’m gonna like this, they start pulling this shit where one thinks of murdering the other and right after that they’re like “oh, his/her eyes are so fucking pretty, his/her mouth looks like a ripe cherry i just wanna bite it” wtf. gimme some good etl deliciousness and i’d eat it up, but this ain’t it. thankfully it’s not just advertised as them wanting to kill each other because they DO want to kill each other, but the progression just isn’t for me. i wanna see more conflict, more internal fights rather than them staring lovingly and all mushy at each other’s eyes, the hot dark broody shadow daddy and this badass sjm ripoff (so cliched, or maybe i’ve just outgrown this sry not sry).

i did like a few things though, like the tension between alaric and talasyn. the build-up was pretty good and i have no doubt so many people are gonna eat it all up — the way this was done just isn’t for me, unfortunately. the big “reveals”?? the side characters?? they had no role here other than just being there. the mcs were pretty interesting — alaric and talasyn — but i felt like they were doing nothing except just being there. for no reason. i do have to say that i liked that there wasn’t any icky power imbalance where one mc — alaric, to be particular — had something over the other and held some power over the other, which always makes me not believe in the romance. so here, i can genuinely see myself liking the romance if it’s better done in book two. they kinda reminded me of one of my absolute fav couples — dyna and cassiel from divine blood (beck michaels) — so they had/have so much potential, and if i were to read on, it’d be just for them.

CAN WE PLEASE PETITION AUTHORS FOR MAKING A GODDAMN MAP. please. this is getting too much for my head — and i’ve read so many fantasy/fantasy romance books and yet i find myself saying this so many times.

i wanna add that there was so much italicization done to the words that it pissed me off. yes, a few times, i can take it. but more than 100 times? yes i counted and lost track, i’m sorry about that. i was originally interested in seeing how this was gonna continue in book two but the more i think about it… the less eager i am. there wasn’t any buildup to the climax and it honestly rather bored me.

i would say that people who thought this was boring in the first 25% — it does end up getting better, but not enough to waste time on, imo.

side note: that cover is so fucking pretty and was definitely one of the reasons i wanted to read this… what a shame this didn’t deliver though. :(

thank you to netgalley and harper voyager for the arc! i’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Guanzon has created a compelling world all her own based on her Filipino heritage. The Hurricane Wars tells the story of Talasyn and Alaric, both on opposing sides of a war that has brutally torn apart their continent.

It is a compelling enemies to lovers tale that will leave you breathless and eager for the next installment!

Look for a Books Are Magical podcast episode featuring an interview with Thea Guanzon to release on pub day. We are so incredibly thankful for her time and talents!

I finished reading The Hurricane Wars and I have so, so many feelings about this book 😭 how do I even put them into words??

First and foremost…I need the sequel NOW. How am I supposed to wait???

Secondly, what an incredible book. An enemies to lovers romance of epic (dare I say Reylo 😌) proportions against the backdrop of a brutal war and political machinations—I couldn’t put it down. The stakes were high and the tension was higher! The sloooowwwww burn pacing gave the characters time for so much development that often goes overlooked in “romantasy” books and I loved that.

Also ALARIC OSSINAST IS THE ULTIMATE BROODING HIMBO AND I LOVE HIM. Talasyn is a little feral babygirl and I will do anything for her.

This review is mostly just rambling now, but essentially…READ THIS BOOK. Preorder it, sit at the mailbox like a little gremlin while you wait for it to arrive and change your life and in the meantime obsess over the incredible cover.

The Reylos keep winning and y’all…there’s a reason. 🦋

What a stunning, gripping, wondrous debut!
Oh my, I loved this one. Reylo fans, where you at? Actually, I was a bit wary given the Reylo/Star Wars hype on this one, being that ... I don't want something * identical * to Reylo. I want something that stands on its own, but has the same level of intensity, rivalry, rage, and well, FEELS. And this delivered that perfectly, more so than I expected.

As usual, I try not to spoil anything, even the plot itself in my reviews, because I think half the fun is going in without really knowing anything, like I did. But I can promise a good time chock full of *chef's kiss* enemies to lovers tension, dark vs. light magic, incredible and infinitely unique world building, and oh gosh, so much more.

Grab your copy and dive in, friends. I'm betting this will be the Next Big Thing.

The Hurricane Wars by @theagwrites
4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1/5 🌶️
‘“I would just like to state, for the record, that it was all Alaric Ossinast’s fault,” Talasyn said with as much dignity as she could manage.’
‘Compliment her, he remembered Sevraim’s advice from the other day. Now seemed like a good time for it, but Alaric couldn’t force the words past his throat. What if she punched him in the face?’
I really enjoyed this book and I'm so mad at myself for waiting so long to read my arc! As an avid fanfic reader, I can say this appealed to me strongly when I heard this was originally a Reylo fanfic. Now I may be more of a Star Trek fan but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate good Star Wars fanfic. I definitely get the vibes from the OG fanfic but it is so much more. Thea wove such a beautiful and interesting story. The world-building was enthralling and descriptive. The blend of magic and technology is amazing. I love a good dual POV and getting to have both Talasyn and Alaric made the story that much better. I fell in love with Talasyn and Alaric, both are so different yet have similarities that draw them together. I found their interactions both amusing and heartbreaking at different times. There is a perfect amount of angst and tension. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope in this one, I swear every time I felt like progress was coming they ended up back at the beginning. It was annoyingly perfect and kept me on the edge of my seat. The story and journey we go on with the characters, their self-discovery, and finding where they belong were beautifully told. I did full-on cry a few times while reading. The ending, man the ending just about wrecked me in the best way and I am anxiously awaiting the next book! Before this one is even officially out. 😂🫣 The Hurricane Wars is a wonderful debut for Thea and I can't wait to see what's next!
If you like:
Southeast Asian Fantasy
Enemies to Lovers
Political Marriage
Villain Gets the Girl
Light vs Dark
Slow Burn
DRAGONS!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Hurricane Wars is the first book in a planned trilogy following enemies from the warring state of Kesath and Sardovia as fate have them swept together to save the world.

Talasyn is a character that you'll easily root for. Right from the start, you'll see glimpses of how persevering she is to protect Sardovia and to contest their freedom. I enjoy reading main characters who are firm with their values and fight for what they believe is right.

Alaric, on the other hand, is a definition of a morally grey character. Being an Ossinast who is trained to follow his father Gaheris' order to succeed in colonizing the continent, Alaric's voice tends to lean on what he thinks his father wants instead of the little voice that whispers to do the right thing.

That's why it's always hilarious to read a scene with Talasyn and Alaric because the way their characters clash radiates from the pages and soon, you'll find yourself craving for more of this sizzling interactions.

The worldbuilding is another thing that I easily liked. With THW pitched as Southeast Asia-inspired world ravaged by storms, you'll see patterns from foods, sceneries, and way of living and conclude that majority is coded from Philippines. So yes, I'm highly recommending this one to Filipino readers who are into exquisitive fantasy reads.

(SPOILER ALERT: there is a taho cameo in this book)

Also, the writing style is 100% ijbol (ijbol is a new Gen Z term short for I Just Bursy Out Laughing) because there may be a lot of scenes where Talasyn and Alaric are serious to discuss about the future of their nations but there is also no shortage when it comes to funny scenes that show the reality that they are still two idiots who are secretly garnering feelings for each.

I'm excited for the finished copy since there will be a map I believe.

RATING: 4.5stars

A vibrant and exciting new fantasy with rich characters, an enticing world, and so much chemistry. I totally get why people have been hyping this one up for so long!

Is it really enemies to lovers if they don’t try to kill one another at least once? This is a rhetorical question, because the answer is clearly ‘wdym? attempted murder is a superb courting technique. comes with glowing recommendations 😌’. Wanting to inflict bodily harm on a person one is reluctantly, begrudgingly, magnetically drawn to, is a prerequisite. After all, a kiss with a fist is better than none…

Alaric Ossinast is a touch starved, brooding war criminal with sad eyes and a lot of yearning in his swole, rotund breast—I mean, traitorous heart; and Talasyn is a feral little gremlin babygirl with a fierce streak almost as wide as the ocean of loneliness in her. They are just the way I like my leads—traumatised and unhinged; bonded together by an immediate, intimate connection of interest and kinship, and instinctual reaction of ‘oh, no, he/she is hot’ to one another. *chef’s kiss* 🤌

Alaric and Talasyn (Alasyn? Talaric? What is their ship name???) are deliciously conflicted, combative, complicated, connected, sympathetic star-crossed lovers. Foes to hoes of the highest calibre. 🗡️→👀→💋 Throw in a dash of arranged marriage, forced proximity, reluctant allies with unquenched thirst, and you’ve got a scrumptious, igniting romance. They are somehow Reylo, Zutara, and Darklina all rolled into one, cherry picked with the best parts of these ships and a heavy dose of fresh, new flavour that makes Alaric and Talasyn uniquely them. Someone cooked here—and that someone is Thea.

The Hurricane Wars is a Southeast Asian-inspired high fantasy with an addictive plot: the Night Empire is a colonising machine and everyone who are not with it, are in its way—fodder to be crushed and annexed by the empire. What does that Supreme Shadow Pater say? “All around us are enemies. They shall tremble in the Shadow that we cast.” Clearly, Gaheris Ossinast is a ruler of sensible politics and humane policies. A real man of the people, so to say. (I am being very serious. I never joke about autocrats, obviously.) On the opposing side of the decade-long conflict that is the Hurricane Wars (title drop) is the Sardovian Allfold, which after years of fighting has been reduced to a plucky little underdog with few allies, but a lot of righteous rebellious spirit.

Alaric and Tala are figurative representations of their respective fractions—both wielding great power and carrying on under a heavy shroud of duty. They are supposed to kill each other, yet after several harrowing encounters, failed to do so. Which is a boon in disguise because there’s actually a cataclysmic magical event happening off to the side, and only their combined magical power is capable of saving everybody. 🌞🌚

I struggled with the beginning a bit, finding the pace sluggish and worldbuilding started off pretty dense, but after I passed the first 50 or so pages, the plot picked up and it was smooth sailing from there. (Well, as smooth as it could be when every few chapters I am biting my fist and bashing my head against a table when certain someones are backtracking in their relationship due to such negligible factors like duty and allegiance and irreconcilable differences in ideological beliefs. 😕 I asked for smooches and cuddles, but got struggles for my troubles.) I enjoyed the wartime backdrop and political machinations the most, even more than the fantasy and romance, so lmao, that says something about me, I guess. 😆

Thea’s prose is gorgeous. She paints a very vivid, exciting world with lush descriptions—of landscapes, culture and lifestyles, clothes and food, and magic. The writing is very enjoyable and immersive.

There’s a very anticipatory sense throughout the entire book. Everything is being set up for more; events are aligning and characters are getting ready—the second book is going to involve a lot of dramatic changes and shifts in political landscape, allegiances, and relationships, and I can’t wait to see it all unravel. Thus… SEQUEL, WHEN???!!!! [insert Paul Rudd ‘give me it’ gif]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

4.5 -⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

"You look like you want to kill me."
"You look like you enjoy it."

The Hurricane Wars is the first novel in the New Adult Fantasy Romance series by the same name. In this we follow two characters on opposite sides of a realm destroying war. On once side is Talasyn, an orphan, and one of the last lightweavers in the region. She stands alongside the rebellion in an attempt to stop the Night Empire from conquering Sardovia. On the other side is Alaric, the heir to the Night Empire. Having spent his life being sharpened into a weapon of Shadow magic against those who struck at his family, his encounter with Talasyn shakes him to the core; for the magic together creates someone the realm hasn't seen. It is clear the war can only end with them...but greater threats looming, uneasy alliances, and secrets diving them at every turn they must decide if they are able to set aside the past and navigate the tension between them. For they have the power to save the world...or destroy it.

Talasyn is a powerful and determined character who I enjoyed diving into. Her determination to save her people and willingness to sacrifice herself showed her strength as well as her need to protect the ones she loved. She isn't someone easily manipulated and I loved her snark at times. She is a refreshing breath of air in between the political intrigue and war planning.

Alaric was a character I felt a lot of empathy towards...even though he does a lot of bad. His upbringing and father created this unhealthy power dynamic but the times he is able to break away from that influence we get to see some vulnerability in him. He wants to stop fighting but he also has been built for it all his life.

The spice of this book is about a 1 spicy pepper out of 5 spicy pepper. This is an enemies to lovers romance at its core but the hatred stems not from the person specifically but because of what they represent. This is a slow burn romance for very good reasons and the banter and tension is evident from the beginning. I found their banter and those moments of freedom helped endear me...but the angst is HEAVY. I wanted to shake them at certain points because their love is so evident but their ties and obligations keep them apart in so many ways.

I would give anything...for this not to be the last time. For her to smile at me again, and laugh like the war never happened.

The world building of the book is fascinating but can feel a little overwhelming at first. I felt after the first few chapters I was able to start wrapping my head around it and once I did I had a lot of fun digging into the lore and cultures of the different nations. I feel there is still plenty to explore and unravel, especially with what the characters are slowly revealing.

The story itself takes a little bit to get some traction and I was pleasantly surprised where it ended up going. There is a larger conflict at play for sure and as the first phase of it opened up I was really interested in the political intrigue and marriage of convenience aspect of it. I enjoyed the break up of the conflict as it gave us a chance to see these antagonistic characters have to work together - the banter alone is so good. In addition Alaric and Talasyn grow in a lot of ways through their interactions and because of the trajectory their encounters have put them on. I will say the tension can be a lot as I always felt we got two steps forwards and one step back each time. The ending itself hit me the hardest and has me very concerned for our young lovers but I need answers!

If you are looking for an angsty enemies to lovers romance set in a vibrant fantasy world of islands, dragons, dark and light magic, and so many secrets this is the book for you. I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you Harper Voyager for the arc!

Talasyn is a freedom fighter. Her nation is under attack by the Night Emperor. And the battle seems to be a losing one. And not only are her friends in danger, but she's hiding a deadly secret. Talasyn is a Lightweaver, hunted by the Night Emperor's Shadowforged warriors, including Prince Alaric. When a force more deadly than war threatens the world are Talasyn and Alaric the key to stopping catastrophe?

I struggled with this book. Before I explain why, here is what I liked about it. The world was a mix of old and new, technology and tradition, science fiction and fantasy, and it reminded me a little of a show I love. The magic system was really interesting and I enjoyed reading about Talasyn learning how to master hers. I also really liked the plucky rebels set up for Talasyn and her friends. There was a lot of engage with in this book, and I can certainly see the appeal for readers.

But for me in particular, this book fell short. It felt like two books in one, and I feel it really suffered for it. As I was reading part one, I could see where the series was going eventually, but I assumed that readers would get more in book two, only to come to the end of part one and find out that the books immediately transitioned to what I assumed would be coming in the future. It was a little jarring and disappointing. Because of the transition from part one to part two, characters I became attached to were suddenly cut out. I am not sure if they will be back in book two, but at least for this book, they were completely gone and were only mentioned in passing. The ending was also very rushed, another victim of the way two books worth of content was shoved into one book.

That being said, The Hurricane Wars wasn't a bad book. It was just disappointing. It would have been much stronger had the book been given more pages or if it was split into two separate books..

WOW! This was my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint!

If you love:
• Real Enemies to Lovers
• Forced Proximity
• Secret Identities and Secret Powers
• Morally Grey Shadow Daddies
• Only One Bed
• Slow Burn
Then this is a book you will love!

"The Hurricane Wars" introduces us to Talasyn and Alaric, who find themselves on opposing sides of a decade-long conflict. I was truly enamoured by these characters, both individually and when they came together; their chemistry was nothing short of electrifying. Their connection made me feel like a giddy schoolgirl once more. While I craved more insight into Alaric's perspective, I'm eagerly anticipating that in the next instalment of this series.

The entire book felt like a delightful throwback to my fanfiction era, and that's a compliment of the highest order. It embodied everything I adored about fanfiction, yet it was exceptionally well-crafted. If you've delved into the world of fanfiction, you'll understand what I mean. Yes, it did have moments of predictability, but I relished those instances. The anticipation, the build-up, and the eventual realisation of my expectations were immensely satisfying. I'm counting down the days until I can dive into the next book in the series. Trust me; it's well worth your time!

A big thanks to Thea Guanzon, Avon Books, and Netgalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and this review was posted voluntarily.