I feel like this book was a little all over the place. It had a lot going on, and then some things fell off. After the first two chapters, the intensity fell off of all the side characters. I love a good Reylo fic turned trad pub booked. But I'm sort of iffy on this. I liked it well enough, but I'm also hoping the next one will hit harder.

This was such a fun,, magical adventure story that I could not get enough of. Eniemes having to work togather to survive is a story that I love. I can not recamend this book enough to people.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyeger for trusting me with this egalley.

This book was amazing I loved it so much and cant stop recommending I have already reread it and purchased the physical copy

This book was a lot of fun to read! I really liked the characters and seeing their relationships grow over the course of the novel. I did have an issue with how the book ended. It just felt like a weird spot to end things. Usually some big thing happens at the end of a book, even if it's part of a series, but in this one it seemed like nothing really happened. There was a bit of a reveal, but it wasn't big enough to give that wow and shock factor. I do look forward to reading the next book and seeing where this story goes.

DNF @ 20%
Not a fan of the writing style.

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Thea Guanzon, Avon, and Harper Voyager for graciously sending me the e-book to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I went into this one not really knowing much other than it was a pretty book with a great map on the inside but I really enjoyed it! This is an enemies to maybe more fantasy with a little romance on the side. We are following Talasyn who has light magic as she battles Price Alaric who wields shadow magic. They are on opposite sides of the war but are soon brought together and will have to work together if they both want to survive. I really enjoyed the writing, world building and character development of this story. I was pretty much hooked from the beginning and can't wait for the next book in the series! Thank you Harper Voyager for my gifted copy for review.

I received an advanced copy of The Hurricane Wars from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Hurricane Wars was one of my more anticipated reads this year, so when I tell you that I didn't enjoy or finish it, it is with a heavy heart. This book did not live up to the expectations I had for it, and I am genuinely disappointed. I got around a third of the way through before deciding that I needed to put it down.

My biggest problem with The Hurricane Wars is that I was frustrated. I didn't understand the decisions being made. I have no problem suspending my disbelief for a lot of things that happen in fantasy novels. I mean, they're fantasy novels, so not everything will make sense. But it does still need to be plausible. Essentially, I want to believe that this pretty much impossible thing might be possible because of how the author explains it if that makes any sense. But I didn't believe really anything that happened here.

Talasyn was not the character for me. This is probably my own bias here, but as someone who was in the military for five years, I have never and would never talk to my superiors the way that Talasyn spoke to hers. She wasn't saying horrible things, but it almost felt like she was trying to run the show. That, and the amount of snark she threw at them was crazy to me. I would've done push-ups for days with those comments. Now, maybe this is just their dynamic, but if that's the case, it would have been nice if that was stated. Why did Talasyn get special treatment? Why did no one talk about it? Talasyn has these fancy light powers, but no one knows until later, so why was no one saying anything about how she interacted with her superiors? I don't think I've ever read a novel where there are military members and the subordinates just do whatever they want because they feel like it. Now, if everyone knew that Talasyn was special, that's one thing. But nothing like that was ever stated, and when people finally find out, there's little to no reaction. She's literally the last of her kind (that we know of), and no one seems to care.

Also, who is in charge of this war? Why are they fighting? Why has it taken ten years? What are the other people with magic doing? Are they fighting? On whose side? I had way more questions, and none of them were being answered. We got a lot of information in the first couple of chapters, but after that, it completely dropped off in favor of throwing our main characters together and ignoring everything else about the plot. It seems this book is supposed to be more heavily romance than fantasy, but how can I believe the romance if I can't believe anything else?

There's so much that I want to talk about but can't because of spoilers. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. The Hurricane Wars was not for me despite my best efforts to push through.

This book was really slow to start. Once it picked up, I was much happier, but I really struggled through the beginning. Easy enemies to lovers YA romance. I have some readers in my library that will definitely gravitate towards this pick.

During the conflict of the hurricane wars two rivals, Talasyn & Alaric become betrothed to save both of their people. Talasyn's light magic is the exact opposite of Alaric's shadow magic, but they might have way more in common than either of them thinks. I enjoyed seeing the story from both points of view especially because it gave you insight to why each of them thinks their stance throughout the hurricane wars was the right one. I am excited to continue on the with the series.

When I saw this cover I immediately jumped at the opportunity to read and review this one. I've been in a fantasy loving mood lately and The Hurricane Wars hit the spot. It began a bit slow for me at the start, however once I got into the book and understood their world I ended up enjoying it!

The Hurricane Wars a novel those who love enemies to lovers. I enjoy reading this book due to the world building and was easy to follow. I look forward to the next installment, especially since it left with cliffhanger. I would recommend the novel to young adults.

I won’t lie when I say this book had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air the entire time. The Hurricane Wars was an amazing piece of art, and the elements of fantasy and romance was the definition of perfection.
Our story follows Talasyn, an orphan who's grown up dealing with these wars, and also a Lightweaver. She is able to wield light magic that can penetrate the shadows the Night King sends. It also follows Alaric the emperor’s son and a wielder of shadow magic.They end up fighting and they merge their powers together somehow. The two end up having to form an alliance although both are very wary about it to try to save the world since the discovery of their combined magic is the only thing that can defeat the looming threat.
I loved the magic in this book. Especially when they combined theirs, it was super cool. Now the real winner here though 100% was the tension and attraction between Talasyn and Alaric during the ENTIRE book. I loved it, I was fiending for it at points. I just love these two characters together so much.
I’m super excited for the next book, especially after the ending and I can’t wait. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly - I just couldn’t get into this. Part of me thinks I will appreciate this at another time and part of me thinks i won’t pick this back up again.

Wow wow wow. The writing in this was phenomenal. I went in blind after falling in love with the cover so I didn’t know what to expect. It took me a second to get used to but I absolutely loved it. I hope there are many more books to come from Guanzon!

Thank you Harper Voyager and Harper Audio for providing me with an ARC and complementary audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.

THE HURRICANE WARS is officially my favorite romantasy of 2023! THE HURRICANE WARS incorporates so many story elements that I love and does it so much better compared to other fantasy romances I have read in the past. It has the SLOWEST of slow burns which was agonizing to read but once Talasyn and Alaric finally kissed I was kicking my feet in the air like a little kid.

I appreciate all of the worldbuilding Guanzon did. Sometimes I feel like romantasies put worldbuilding on the backburner but this was not the case. I had a clear sense the world and the politics at play which made me appreciate this story so much more. THE HURRICANE WARS is very, very ReyLo. So if that's your vibe, you're going to love this but I can see why others may not.

The audiobook is narrated by Jeanne Syquia. Her performance was great and easy to listen to. THE HURRICANE WARS is dual-POV so I think this book could have benefitted from dual narration. My enjoyment of the audiobook wasn't impacted by the lack of a male narrator. I just think it could have been a nice touch!

Can't wait for the sequel!
4/5 stars

THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon was one of my anticipated reads this year. The first book in this Southeast Asian inspired fantasy trilogy and overall, it was an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

What I liked:

The prologue completely drawn me into the story

The writing and world building was beautifully done and flowed smoothly, the way Thea’s described specific scenes I was completely drawn in each scene and could imagine every detail happening in my mind as I read

I loved the dual POV’s of Talasyn and Alaric. It allowed me to develop a deep understanding of how they truly were, their vulnerabilities, their fears, and what they desired

I’m fascinated by Alaric's relationship with his mother and the trauma he experienced at a young age. I’m intrigued to see what he went through further discussed more in the next book

I was intrigued by the magic system, especially Talasyn burning light abilities and Alaric dark shadow magic. Especially what their magic could do when intertwined together. I’m hoping the magic system is further explained and expanded in the second book.

I liked the important topics Thea brought forward, she didn’t shy away from the detrimental impacts of war and colonization

I liked the pacing of the story it didn’t feel rushed or slow, it felt just right

What I didn’t like:

I found some phrases characters was repetitive

I wasn’t completely captivated by the enemies to lover’s romance between Talasyn and Alaric. Although I found some of their banter entertaining, it took me a while into the story to be fully invested in their growing relationship. I was hoping for more anguish and passion that I enjoy seeing when it comes to enemies to lover’s trope. However, I feel after the last few chapters when I finally saw a glimpse of passion between them, there is potential for their relationship to flourish in the next book.

I’m intrigued to see what’s going to transpire in the next book

What’s inside the book:
Arranged marriage
Banter
Dragons
Light and Dark magical abilities
Political intrigue

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

I don’t mind that this is originally a fan fiction even though I have no idea what Reylo is. But this book reads really young and the characters lack any kind of personality. The bigger issue is the colonizer aspect of this. Where she can put aside the killing of her people and fall in love with this guy. It just felt gross.

I feel very in between about this book. Overall an ok read, but I wish the pace would have been more consistent.

The Hurricane Wars is about a character who grew up as an orphan in a war-torn nation and a character who grew up as the emperor's heir. You won't be able to put down this story as their worlds collide and they must make difficult choices. The Hurricane Wars is full of magic and power and secrets. This is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers romance and high-stakes fantasy.