The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a page-turning fantasy, enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance. It kept me interested and engaged and I really loved the world building. However, the pace and timeline of the novel was difficult to follow. I felt the story when in several directions that were distracting from the main plot point. I’m still giving this book 4 stars because it was very good and I’m interested to continuing reading of Talasyn and Alaric, Nenavar and Sardovia and Kesath. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of romantic fantasy and political fantasy.

4.5 stars is more accurate but I’ll bump it up to 5.


An amazing debut that while slow to start builds up to something fast and fully enrapturing bringing the reader into a world of high stakes, peak tension, political war games and two lonely powerful people who must wade through it all. I feel anyone whether they are a fantasy fan or even the more passive fantasy fan would get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

Best parts: tension, banter, forced proximity, will they won’t they and the power system.


Review:
The bits mentioned above are a big part of why I gave this a higher rating but it took a while to get there. The world building is good - but felt like it could have been better. Even interspersed with action sequences and political talks it felt sluggish. It took about 50% of the book for me to get to a point where reading it didn’t feel like a chore (I will say I do intend on rereading at some point to see if I still feel the same way about the first half or if it’s a case of bad timing because as I said the world building itself is fine just felt slow).

Past that halfway point? I breezed through this. The stakes kept getting higher and every interaction between Talasyn and Alaric was more exciting than the last. The story grew with them as their ‘relationship’ grew. The little personal bits of information they started to trust with the other, the heated tension filled moments, the understanding of the lives they came from - you can’t help but root for each of them and both of them together.

The fact that Alaric is just head over heels and can’t keep control of it? Easily the reason I gave this five stars. Him whining to Sevraim about wanting Talasyn to just like him and not knowing what to do? Hysterical but also the poor thing. I cant wait to watch him just completely fumble his way through being disgustingly in love with her while also dealing with everything else (his father, the rest of the Sardovian fleet, his own issues).

Talasyn’s personal growth through the book - ultimately ending with her standing up for herself against authority realizing she is powerful enough to have the upper hand and knowing when to show - is well done. Her discovery of this through her time with Alaric but also on her own shows a distinct choice. She’s capable of growth on her own with or without him - he just pushes those boundaries a little bit farther than anyone else is willing to and gets her there faster. I can’t wait to see their dynamic going forward.

I appreciate the differing POVs because it helps remind the reader that while yes - Alaric and Talasyn’s stories are now fully intertwined they’re still their own characters. They still have their own personal battles to fight. Their own stories to tell.

The hint of things throughout the book - most notable at the end - are perfectly teased enough to get the reader interested in the books to come. Both Talasyn and Alaric dealing with parental authority figures who are controlling and in the way of their ideals - what will come of this and what choices will they have to make? The mystery of what happened to both of their mothers. Where is Khaede? Where will their loyalties ultimately fall and what sacrifices will be made before we reach the conclusion?

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review this ahead of publication.

If you loved the OG fanfic you’re gonna go hard for this. If you love fun, addictive, and sexy romantasy you’re gonna go hard for this. If you love thoughtful, interesting characters and fascinating magic systems you’re gonna go hard for this. Basically I just think most folks are gonna go hard for this.

One of my fave moments from the original fic happened way into the story, and I can’t wait to read it again but remixed this way. I’m strapped in for the long haul.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

4.25/5 stars

First in a Southeast Asian-inspired romantic fantasy trilogy, this debut was such fun to read and kept my attention riveted through the entire book.

This story revolves around a long-standing civil war between the ruthless Night Emperor with their shadow magic and basically everyone else in their sphere.

Talasyn is a young, orphaned resistance fighter who has known nothing but hardship and war for much of her life and has made her military comrades her surrogate family. She has a secret, however, that could change the tide of the war. Prince Alaric, the son of the Night Emperor, lost his mother at a young age and has been molded and groomed to become his father’s successor.

As Talasyn’s abilities are forced into the light, Alaric is ordered to hunt her down and kill her. But when they both end up on a nearby “neutral” island nation, objectives change, and the two are forced into a truce of sorts to secure objectives for each of their factions.

I enjoyed this, but at 500 pages, I think it was too long and seemed too repetitive in spots. There’s great world-building, and I did like Talasyn and Alaric as characters, but their change in feeling towards each other felt both sudden and drawn-out, if that makes sense. They went from hate to attraction, back and forth and back and forth…so that it became a bit tiresome at times. And while the age difference wasn’t over-the-top (T is 19, A is 26) sometimes it felt a little jarring and too obvious in their actions.

So even though I felt it had a few issues, it was well-written, a good debut and ended with plenty of plot to still play with. I will definitely read more.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing the free early arc of The Hurricane Wars for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I’m struggling with this one. As soon as I found out it’s based on a star wars fanfic I cannot unsee it. I am one to enjoy fanfics and know how talented their writers can be. What I’ve read is really good and the world building is fantastic. I just can’t get my mind to cooperate knowing what I know. I’ve really tried. I stopped and came back several times, but I just cannot seem to get into it.

I will not be leaving any public reviews for the sake I do not believe I can fairly review this piece.

I plan to attempt the audiobook when it’s released to see if that enables my brain to get into it.

Wow - This book blew me away! So well written; the world-building was incredible. I went back and forth between the audiobook and the ebook, and I appreciated listening to the characters' names and locations and then reading them. I cannot wait to see what else Thea Guanzon writes next in this series. What a superb first novel!

I went into this book with really no expectations or preconceived notions other than the beautiful cover and intriguing storyline . The beginning of the book was hard to read as it took me a couple of tries for the story to really capture me. The world building was a little confusing, and the pacing seemed off. I did really enjoy the romance and the tension, and I felt that the plot moved more cohesively towards the middle of the book. I would recommend this to my friends and will read the next installment.

Thank you to HarperVoyager and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“You lost, little bird?”


The Hurricane Wars is more than a fantasy novel, it's a journey into the depths of human resilience and the uncharted territories of magic and emotion. Guanzon's deftly crafted prose interlaces with a world both beautifully imagined and hauntingly familiar - a nation ensnared in the grip of conflict, where darkness vies with light, both on the battlefield and within the hearts of its characters. Talasyn's concealed light magic and Prince Alaric's shadowy prowess mirror the duality of their world, while their union hints at a potential to transcend the boundaries that divide. In a tapestry woven with secrets, power, and the promise of salvation or ruin, The Hurricane Wars beckons readers to explore not only the clash of forces but also the intricacies of connection and the untamed potential of their union.



“Shall I simper while millions suffer under your tyranny?”



What to expect:
* Enemies to Lovers
* Slow Burn
* Forced Proximity
* Nations at War
* Exquisite World-building
* Lush Landscapes
* Vibrant Filipino Culture
* A Journey of Self Discovery

The hurricane wars was like three books in one. In this first installment too many things happen. In the first half we got a lot of action, a lot going on at the same time, a lot of plot twist and revelations but towards the 50% mark the book dragged a bit. I think that for this reason I couldn't give it 5 stars, I had a hard time moving on after passing the first half but the reality is that this book is amazing.

The world building and magic system are some of the best I've read in my life. Although The Hurricane Wars is a romantic fantasy book, the romance does not make the fantasy part into the background. Here I have to admit that it was quite difficult for me at times to be able to organize this whole world in my head because the E-Arc does not come with a map. When I asked the author, she told me that the final version will have maps, so I'm looking forward to rereading the book with my final edition.

Now let's talk about the romance. Talasyn and Alaric are two frustrating idiots who made me so mad because I LOVE THEM AND THEY HAD TO BE TOGETHER BUT THEY DID NOT COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. Do you want an enemies to lovers with forbidden love, arranged marriage, mutual pining and a lot of miscommunication but at the same time they never stop being enemies? this is your book. And even if this doesn't sound very compelling to you, you have to read this book. Trust me.

I enjoyed this story, the characters, and the setting, but it’s not without its flaws. It felt very much like Star Wars fanfiction, and the pacing was pretty inconsistent. Overall it was a fun and worthwhile read, but I think there are other fantasy stories that tell the narrative better.

The Hurricane Wars is a difficult book to review because folks will either like it or hate it depending on what they come in expecting.

Going in, I knew this was a highly anticipated release by those who originally read Thea Guanzon's work online as a Reylo Fan Fic. Fans were so numerous this picked up by a traditional publisher and here we have it.

What I didn't expect was how closely the story would mirror the Star Wars universe (but add water and different names for the force) and how silly some of that would feel. For example, the MMC's father is literally called "The Emperor." The MMC's magic is "Dark" whereas the FMC's is "Light" etc. If you are interested in a complex world with a high fantasy epic feel with maybe a little romance thrown in, this is likely not the book for you.

My biggest difficulty with the story is that the first 100 pages or so tries to give us that epic world building anyway. Here we are introduced to multiple characters, overloaded with technical terminology, info dumped on years of war history only to see one side ultimately fall, all to frame why the two characters hate each other so very very much, Sadly, it is poorly done.

However, turn to Part 2 of the book and you get a much different story- the one I believe most of the fans of this book were here for the whole time.
Enemies must now work together,
in forced proximity,
amidst sexual tension,
deflecting with delicious banter,
into the slowest burn ever!!!

It's well done and certainly entertaining. It just takes about 30% of the book to get there. If you want enemies to lovers on the level of "I hate you and I would betray everything I hold dear to admit otherwise" you will likely be quite happy with what The Hurricane Wars offers. By the end I I certainly was!

Many thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for access to an eARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Really engrossing, Loved the writing and storytelling. But it did sometimes take me out when I would remember that this is Reylo fic.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!


I’m not sure how I feel about this. I enjoyed the fantasy aspect but I wanted more out of the romance. It was slow moving at a snail like pace and I understand everything that happened is setting up for a sequel but good lord give me more instead of the massive amount of info dumping.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of The Hurricane Wars

I wanna preface this by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. However, it did not deliver for me. Though I can acknowledge that I'm in the minority and it seems like most early reviews are positive. So I'm glad others are enjoying it at least.

Reading this gave me the same anxiety of walking into an upper level history course halfway into term and the teacher expecting you to know everything for a pop quiz. I literally had no idea what was going on. There is zero back end effort on the world building and lore. The only reason I knew what was going with the two leads is because it's a Reylo fanfiction. There are dragons in this book, but they have absolutely no bearing on the story. You could replace them with 100ft Teletubbies and I don't think it would change anything.

Likely with more editing, thorough would building, and better character development this could have been a knockout.

“And perhaps this too, was how a war began. In the space between heartbeats.”💜

Thank you to Harper Voyager publishing and Thea Guanzon for providing an ARC copy of the Hurricane Wars for my honest opinion!!! My dreams have come true!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

This book is THE BOOK for the enemies to lovers trope lovers!!!! I was here for the romance! It was so addictive! The tension was this emoji; 😫

This book is my number one anticipated read of the year and it did not disappoint!!!

The world was so unique, based off of the author’s home: the Philippines. And it was so cool to learn about the magic system, the politics, the weapons and ships they use. I will say that going in right from the start of the book you are dropped into action and at first it is a little difficult understanding everything so be prepared to use your brain a little bit to understand the world and who is who. But once you have an understanding of the magic and the world it is just a wild ride of adventure and enemies to lovers!

Also, I know y’all, and yes. They do hold knives to each other's throats 🥰 Silly little things.

This book was such a refreshing read compared to a lot of the YA books I have read to before, it genuinely was such a unique story that I will never forget and now I am sad that I won’t get a hold of the second book for who knows how long!!

I definitely will be reading it again when it comes out on October 3rd.

There is a beautiful edition from Barnes and Noble that is now available for preorder! I will link it in my story because it genuinely is so pretty and THE MAP IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭

I have to admit it took me a little while to get into The Hurricane Wars. The beginning just throws you into the plot and action and doesn't do the best job of explaining anything. I found myself wading through it until there was a bit of a pause and more things were explained. I did end up enjoying the rest of the book. There's a lot of tension and some interesting plot reveals. I like the dark vs. light magic. This is also definitely a true enemies to lovers book, which can be hard to find. That being said, it's very heavily inspired by Reylo, to the point where I couldn't imagine Alaric as anyone but a younger Adam Driver. I didn't necessarily have a problem with it. However, the plot and worldbuilding are a little convoluted. There are a lot of elements that feel more sci-fi than fantasy. Despite the messy feel, once I got through the beginning, I enjoyed the heart of the story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Hurricane Wars Review:
{Out October 3rd}

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and @harpervoyagerus for this E-Arc!

I absolutely adored this book, fans of The Poppy Wars and Fourth Wing will love this one!

The Hurricane Wars is a Southeast Asia inspired fantasy featuring enemies to lovers romance, political intrigue and a gripping story!

What to Expect:

Tropes:

⛩️ Southeast Asian inspired Fantasy
📖 Political Intrigue
⚔️ Enemies to Lovers
🐉 Dragons
✨ Magic
👑 Emperors, Lost Royalty
🔥 Slow Burn

Overview:

The main character Talasyn, grew up as an orphan in a war sticker land under siege by the Night Emperor. When the emperor’s only son and heir, Prince Alaric is tasked to end and threats to his father’s tyrannical rule, Alaric finds himself at a crossroads when he witnesses Talasyn on the battlefield and their powers of light and darkness merge and create a power like never seen before. The story follows Talasyn and Alaric’s fight to end the Hurricane Wars by using their magical powers (ability to wield light, and shadow magic)

#thehurricanewars #netgalley

Summary of review: My expectations were too high, but Hurricane Wars was an engaging and quick read if lacking in some aspects.

Talasyn has been living in a war-torn country for as long as she can remember. She fights for her country while hiding her true identity. As a Lightweaver, The Night Empire wants nothing more than to destroy her. The Nigh Empire’s son, Alaric, should kill her, yet finds himself unable to. When they accidentally find out their power combines into a new phenomenon, the two of them are forced to work together for the good of their countries.

A true testament to the author’s skill is how quickly I flew through this book. In two days, I devoured a novel just shy of five hundred pages. The writing style flowed in a way that was easy to fall in and get lost in the story. It was an engaging read while still being descriptive in prose and having an entertaining dialogue.

Hurricane Wars got off on an awkward footing. Wartime is a perfect backdrop for fantasy novels, but our story begins at the end of this decade-long war. I went in expecting political intrigue and wartime strategy, something similar to The Poppy War. Instead, it was more focused on the romantic aspect. I’m puzzled as to why the book is named after the war when it only plays a role in the first quarter. The characters I was just starting to get to know, her comrades, fade out and aren’t brought up again. It switched focus almost immediately to Nenavar and The Night Empire making a deal to avoid war, but the political negotiations still took the back burner in favor of the romance. I would say this book falls more into the romantasy genre than high fantasy.

Talasyn and Alaric’s relationship made sense to me, even though I didn’t buy it. Talsayn is lonely and was abandoned in a cruel orphanage as a baby. She has known nothing but hardship and yearns for love. Alaric is in a similar position, having grown up under his father’s abuse. Both are very broken people, who lash out like wounded animals. Talsayn and Alaric's relationship was born out of circumstance and desperation; while not enemies by the end, there are still a lot of wounds that have to heal before Talasyn and Aaron can truly find love.

The world-building needed a lot of work. While it’s clear that the novel is South-Aisan in nature (I grew up in South Asia) it felt very generic. The food descriptions made my mouth water, but most of those dishes are served in lots of countries, not just the Philippines. Most of the time the characters are interacting on a warship or the palace, and the dialogue takes precedence over describing their surroundings. This was disappointing, as I was expecting a lush world, but wasn’t given much to go on. I was hoping for more exploration of the magic system, which was neat: pulling from the aether, a dimension on top of our world. The idea of having nexuses of power for each type of magic user was a unique idea but in the end, didn’t play a big role. We only explore Light and Shadoweavers, the delegation of our two main characters, but I would have loved to know more about how the powers work for everyone else who can access the Aether world.

It’s odd when a first book falls prey to second-book syndrome. This felt like a prequel to the real story. There aren’t many plot points, and the ones we do have are just handed to us. There was no mystery or intrigue, no slow reveals or build-ups. Certain reveals could have been alluded to, which would have made for a stronger plot, but instead, they are just blurted out and we move on from them quickly. While not much in terms of the action happens, we get to know all of the key players and the necessary history to get to the meat of the plot.

Despite my gripes, I still had a fun reading experience. I’m curious how the second book is going to play out, now that character introductions and the beginning stage of the romance are out of the way. This will really appeal to those who love romantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 💜

"Hate is another kind of passion."

If RF Kuang had a book baby with Sarah J Maas, you might get something like The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon. It's intelligent and romantic with worldbuilding that's rich and vast, complex characters whose deep traumas resurface again and again, and a magic system that is so nuanced and rooted in its setting you will feel like you're reading something special. And it is. I stayed up until 2am to finish reading this book, and now my fiancé is a bit grumpy at me this morning! 😂

The writing is everything. Thea uses elevated language and sentence structure that is such a delight to read. She gives us two POVs: Talasyn and Alaric, who have a seven-year age difference between them. This is the most believable depiction of enemies-to-lovers I have ever read. So many books give you a surface-level ETL romance, but Thea's depiction of the relationship between Talasyn and Alaric is sooo complicated and wrapped up in the war and their childhood traumas that it often gets in the way of what their hearts are trying to tell them. This isn't an insta-love story, but it is one in which the characters are inexplicably drawn to each other, and as the plot thickens, we see qualities of their magic that seem to enforce that.

And the dialogue. The dialogue! It is hilarious, sexy, emotive, and I'm tempted to immediately read through the book again.

THW is the most achingly slow burn I've ever read in this genre—it is deliciously frustrating and just builds and builds and builds by the time you finish the book, if you're like me, you'll want to cry because while we do get something very hot and sexy, it isn't nearly enough, and you JUST KNOW the big one is coming. A devastating hurricane of passion is on its way, and I've nailed down the furniture in anticipation, ready to weather it all. Thea's writing in the intimate scenes is intoxicating, and you know the payoff will be worth it.

I am so happy this book exists. The representation of Filipino culture is beautifully done—the colorful clothing and cosmetics, our boisterous banquets, the mythology woven into the story (the bakuwana are incredible and gave me chills, likewise the lore of the moons). Several times reading I was overcome by a yearning to return to the Philippines to take in the mountains and volcanoes, the lush jungles, the small monkeys, the islands and water, and the delicious FOOD. There's a scene where the FMC introduces the MMC to taho and I squealed because it reminded me of the time I introduced my now-fiancé to taho when we visited the strawberry fields of Baguio.

I am so invested in this series. Beyond Talasyn and Alaric, I loved the politics and conflicts of this world between the invading Shadow Empire of Kesath, the Philippine-inspired Nenavar Dominion, and Sardovia. The story takes place in the midst of an ongoing and bitter war, which lends to the complexity around the MCs and their struggles to accept their feelings.

I am NOT OKAY with that ending. Thea gave us a sense of how difficult Alaric's childhood was and now I WORRY for our shadow boy.

"Alaric remembered how that night had marked a change in Gaheris, manifesting in little cruelties and obsessions that piled up over the years..."

If you stay, his mother had whispered, there will be nothing left of you.

What are we calling Talasyn + Alaric? Talaric?? I am hopelessly Team Talaric. The last 10% of this book is just... 🔥🔥🔥

Thea Guanzon is one to watch.

The Hurricane Wars is the tale of fantastical magic and strategic politics with the romance of its two main characters being the center of story.

This book I found to really focus on Talasyn, her people and her motivations. She’s definitely the character that moves the story forward. While we do get an idea of Alaric and his backstory and thought process not everything is unwrapped yet, which I think leaves some suspense for the reader when thinking of this books sequel. The romance between Alaric and Talasyn, is also a great example of how to the enemies to lovers trope the right way. The stakes felt real and their reasons for their hatred for one another were justified. I also felt like their relationship growth made sense, enemies to lovers will often have the characters flipping their opinions very suddenly but Talasyn and Alaric’s relationship is moving at a more realistic pace considering where they started.

An issue that I come across most often when reading high fantasy novels is that of pacing. I usually find a portion of the book to be moving too slow and this book didn’t have that problem in my opinion. Although, my main issue with the book would have to be the tone of the novel. When reading the writing and characterization comes across more YA than adult which did feel out of balance with the more complex world and ages of the characters. With that in mind, I would recommend this book for people who are transitioning from YA fantasy to adult fantasy. The writing and main characters read younger but the world is more complex than most YA stories which makes it feel like the middle ground between YA and Adult fantasy.