I’m going to give this book at 3.5 stars. It read kind of like a fanfic, I do understand it was a Reylo fanfic. It is YA I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with the story just not my cup of tea.

I knew going into reading this book that it was going to be Reylo fanfiction. I knew that and I almost didn't read it because of that. But I decided to give it a shot, and I hoped the similarities wouldn't be too heavy-handed.

They really are though.

The Hurricane Wars really is just Reylo fanfic dressed up in other clothing. For some people, that might be great! But I'm not a fan of the ship, and the constant reminders and total lack of subtlety (there's even airship combat, come on) were just... a lot.

It's kind of a shame, because this book is well written and frequently engaging, at least when I could forget that I was reading fanfiction. There's a lot lovely descriptions and a deft use of real-life cultural touchstones. I struggled a little bit with the romance, though, even for non-Reylo reasons. It's tough to get behind a romance between a literal war criminal (even if he's being manipulated by his father) when the war crimes are perpetrated against the heroine's people. Maybe the heart doesn't know logic, but girl... come on.

In the end, I found myself wanting to get to the end of this book so that I could see what happened, yes, but mostly so I could be done with it. The pacing was strange - huge blocks of time skipped, no real climactic moment - which just added to the feeling of it being a bit of a slog. I walked away feeling like there was a nugget of potential in this book, but that it ultimately never lived up to what it could have been.

3.25/5

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to review this one before the publication date because it was a banger! Adapted from a popular Reylo epic but goes far beyond filing off the serial numbers with exuberantly detailed worldbuilding (never mind Guy Gavriel Kay's two moons, or, and I am probably the only person under 45 who would use this comparison, Marion Zimmer Bradley's four--this world has SEVEN) and a trope-y enemies-to-lovers romance, not to mention that stunning cover. The only flaw is that the pacing feels a bit drawn out, although again so much better than the fanfiction version. I'm excited for the next book in the series now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Oh my goodness I loved this one! I figured I would end up liking it because it was originally a Reylo fanfic and it didn’t end up disappointing me!

I was so excited about this book and truly felt it had potential. That said, I ended up DNFing it. 😢 I just wasn't drawn into the story or the characters. I've heard the last 40% or so is really good, so I may be it back up, but for now I've had to move on.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. I really do appreciate it! ❤️

I really can't bring myself to read my Kylo/Rey fanfiction pretending to be something else. I DNF'd it but wish all my Kylo/Rey friends the best.

I am giving this book 2 stars because I do think it has potential, unfortunately I just struggled SO much with it. I got to maybe 30% and found myself still so confused on who was who and what was going on. I think the world building could have even done much more clear.

The Hurricane Wars had great characterisation fans of enemies to lovers are sure to love!

The idea of Hurricane Wars sounded fantastic and drew me in, unfortunately I found the magic system was underexplained which left it feeling a bit sparse at times.

I’m personally not a fan of the miscommunication trope, especially in combination with enemies to lovers, and that was very central to the plot of the book so I found myself being annoyed that the characters didn’t just talk to each other.

I did enjoy the characterisation and the fantasy plot side of the book, so if you’re a big fan of those tropes I’m sure this would be a great book for you!

I received this book as an ARC, for several months I started it and would DNF it a few pages in. I had a feeling I would love it if I just got a little farther into the book. Upon it being published I decided to purchase the audio book and it was a game changer.

This story is incredible and Thea Guanzon had me captivated from the second I started it until I finished this book a few moments ago. It’s rare to find a book that keeps me up through the night and is on my mind as I complete my work day but this was definitely one of them. The plot was original and entertaining, the characters were swoon worthy, and the slow burn romance had me racing to the end of the book. I am SO glad I ended up giving this book another shot as I would have missed out on one of my top books of 2023.

I would encourage fans of Avatar the last Airbender, ACOTAR, and Fourth Wing to try this book as I feel you will be as captivated as I was.

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

I have been looking forward to this book all year and it did not disappoint! I am very new to reading fantasy so the world building was definitely difficult for me to understand (whether that is because of the writing itself or my newness to the genre, I can't say) but I still had a blast while reading this. I knew going in that this was previously a reylo fanfiction (hence me dying to read it) which helped me understand the general plot line better than if I hadn't known the star wars background - war, boy and girl on different sides, both powerful but more powerful together, they try to kill each other many times, but wait there's so much sexual tension, plus an arranged marriage. As a big reylo fan, it was so so much fun to read and be able to imagine characters I love so much and have them fit so well into the story while also making them so nuanced and multi-faceted that they feel one of a kind to this particular story in addition to having qualities of these other well-known characters. I think any reylo fan would be able to recognize and enjoy the familiarity of these characters while also appreciating their uniqueness and distinct identities. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this and am excited to see the story continue!

I was honestly amazed that this is a debut book. Thea Guanzon is now on my auto-buy list, and I can't wait to see what her career brings.

This story was beautifully written, well paced, and packed with tension. I love the two main characters and their respective relationships. The story dives right into the action, literally starting with a battle scene. There was a bit of info dumping at the beginning, but I enjoyed that Thea made the choice to chuck the reader into it in the midst of action rather than having it being spoon-fed to me through boring chapters of dialog.

I was very impressed with the character development and the world building in this book. Many first installments lean really heavily into one or the other, but the balance in this story was perfect. I have a great idea of what the world looks like and how it functions, while also having a good sense of who my characters are, what truly drives them, and where they are going.

Overall 10/10. There isn't anything I would change about this story. Perfect for anyone who loves cool magic systems, unlikely couples you can't wait to get together, and of course, a dark broody MMC. I would classify this story as new adult based on the complexity, spice level, and overall themes.

I really liked the plot!! It went in directions I was not expecting, so it kept me guessing!

The beginning was a bit confusing because there were so many characters mentioned (with names that were hard to pronounce), that I couldn’t keep them straight. It starts making more sense the more you read it though!

The story moved at a pretty quick pace, and I did enjoy our two main MCs, Talaysn and Alaric. They are definitely enemies 😂…throw in some forced proximity and quick retorts, and you’ve got some excellent tension going!

However; their romance is a VERY slow burn. They were also having some inner battles with their morals that started giving me whiplash. Their back and forth was a little much, so by the end it annoyed me.

I enjoyed this enough to want to keep reading the series.

The Hurricane Wars:⁣
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Thank you so much @harpervoyagerus [partner] for my gifted copy! ⁣
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“May your soul find shelter in the willows”. ⁣
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The Hurricane Wars is a stunning debut that has (rightfully so) been everywhere with great reviews! This was such an interesting premise, but I felt was too wordy. Regardless, I loved this book and cannot wait to see what happens next. ⁣
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I loved Tala and Alaric. They were both so different and they were heavily enemies to lovers. Lots of enemy angst, I loved their banter and well, hatred. There is a one bed moment and yup. It was what you expect. Tala is doing so much after finding out major news, and for her to not crumble of fall apart just shows how amazing and strong she really is. I cannot wait to their relationship change (for the better hopefully) in book 2 ⁣
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The down part is this book is entirely too long. Lots of it drug on and I would space out. It would be ok because I would not miss anything. I’m all for details for book one to really set the scene and world, but this was not really adding to the plot or world building for me. ⁣
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The actual magic was wonderful. The world building, exquisite. This book was steamier than I was expecting. There’s a big “will they/won’t they” and I figured more closed door, but it’s not!⁣
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Overall, I really enjoyed it. The book is gorgeous, the characters are wonderful, so I’m ready now for book 2 😂. Out now!

Do you know how readers have obsessed over SJM books? This is my obsession, except I will be so much worse. The Hurricane Wars is a Sci-fi/Romantasy that will absolutely sweep you away. We are thrown in mid to the end of the war, where we meet Talasyn, an orphan fighting the conquering rule of the Night Emperor and especially the heir - Prince Alaric. These two have nothing in common besides the burning desire to kill the other. This is not a people-who-vaguely-dislike-each-other-to-lovers. It's an I hate you to I have weird feelings for you. So much so that I had no idea whether Talasyn or Alaric would betray each other at a moment's notice. As you can guess, the tension between them was high even when they were clashing swords mid-battle. The world-building is extensive, but the description and detail make it seem like you are watching a movie. The cherry on top for me was all the women who held powerful positions, and the matriarchal ruling system was chef kiss. This was a beautiful debut for Thea Guanzon, and I can not wait to continue reading about Alaric and Talasyn's journies. My mouth is sore from smiling, giggling, and screaming for all 480 pages of this book.

Thank you, Thea Guanzon and Harper Voyager, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

While I've seen a lot of buzz about this book being the next romantasy hit, I think that this tagline doesn't do The Hurricane Wars justice. First of all, it's a pretty slow burn - and I do like a slow burn - so for readers who might be going into it thinking this will be a hashtag enemies to lovers, slow burn, romance, I think this 'romantic arc' is much slower than one might expect. This is part of a series, so in that sense I think the romance story line is very much something that needs to be seen.

Don't get me wrong, there's tension and sizzling, but for romance readers this won't be what they might be expecting. Which is fine, but I think with the current discussion of romantasy and the merging of romance, the better marketing might be fantasy with an influential romance story line?

Throughout The Hurricane Wars Guanzon does a great job at breaking down the misconceptions, misinformation, and ways both Talaysn and Alaric are being lied to. Being able to see through their mindsets, via dual POV, is integral to building this connection between the two before they even know it. But that brings me to what I loved the most about The Hurricane Wars which was the lore and the world.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed The Hurricane Wars and the new fantasy world that was developed for us to be immersed in.

I loved our main character, Talasyn. She has had a pretty tough life up to this point and her character development was so fun to read. Our other main character, Prince Alaric, made for a really fun perspective as well. The world building, especially the magic, was really well done and I loved every part of it!

Apparently this is a Reylo (Star Wars, I think? lol) inspired story. I know NOTHING of Star Wars or the Reylo fandom and it didn’t impact my reading experience at all.

I found the first bit kind of a slow read, however it quickly picked up and I couldn’t put it down.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of The Hurricane Wars in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this I didn’t realize it was Reylo fanfic, so allow me to preface that I was unknowingly not the right audience for this. I’m not sure I’ve ever made it through a Star Wars movie without falling asleep!

With that in mind, the experience of The Hurricane Wars for me was similar. While I had intentions of binging this over the weekend I started it, two months ago, I couldn’t really get into it and ultimately it took me those two months to finally wrap this one up. I struggled mostly with the purple prose, a definition I just learned about… because it fits perfectly fits here. I could only take small bits at a time.

However, if you are a Reylo fan and like some good enemies to lovers banter, then it may be different for you. There was good tension built between Alaric and Talasyn and a twist at the end that leaves me with some interest to read the next, if the purple prose is smoothed out.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, but unfortunately for me fell somewhat flat. The world building in the early chapters felt very much like an info dump and it was hard to keep track of all of the names and places. While I thought the premise was interesting, it often felt difficult to not lose track of the story as the prose was over descriptive at times. Thank you to Harper Voyager for this ARC.

I wanted so, so badly to love this book, and I DID during the first half. A caveat to anyone who didn't know this going in: The Hurricane Wars, like The Love Hypothesis, was originally a Reylo fanfic. As a Reylo fan, I was so excited and couldn't get enough of the vibes during Part 1. The opening is pulse-pounding and iconic, the first line is incredible, and I liked Talasyn as an FMC a lot. Her clash with Alaric is so well done and I really got the enemies to lovers vibes, even throughout. I liked their opposing magic--Talasyn light and Alaric shadow--and I LOVED the Southeast Asian inspired mythology.

The worldbuilding, centered around stormships that bring lightning, differing magics, and tons of ships/fighters/planes, was a little info-dumpy and confusing in the beginning, but ultimately compelling. I loved how quickly we dove into Talasyn's quest to take down Alaric...and then (here come the spoilers), it descends into tropes that I felt reduced Talasyn's power as an FMC.

If you (like me) can't stand the arranged marriage or long-lost-princess trope, you're going to be so disappointed in everything that comes after Part 1. I'm lead to believe this was all in the original fic, too (I haven't read it), so if you liked that, you will probably like this. I still intend to continue with the series, because the final couple chapters redeemed The Hurricane Wars again, and I do love the worldbuilding so, so much. But I just wish that the middle had been...I don't know, different?

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and Thea Guanzon for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I feel like the pacing overall needs an little work and the enemies to lovers part was not as captivating as I had hoped. Otherwise this new world was pretty interesting.