Review posted to Goodreads 11/20/24

I appreciate Thea Guanzon's writing style and ability to create romance on the page. With that being said, this series is very much a "romantasy" in every sense - the focus is on the romance. I was so starkly aware of this because every scenario Talasyn and Alaric find themselves in is always to further their romantic story. There's nothing wrong with that and there is definitely an audience for it, but the world building and character development unfortunately take a back seat, when that was really what I was hoping to experience more of in the second book. All in all, the story is a bit forgetful.

My rating: 3.5⭐️
Thank you for the ARC!

I had the opportunity to read A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon, before its release on December 10, 2024! 🌀🌑

Alas, I’m back with my people aka Alarc and Talasyn. Who honestly may take the award for worst communication skills possible. I wanted to shake them both, but I also love them.

The story picks right back up where it left off, as our main characters are training to stop the eclipse. I do feel like the story focused heavily on their relationship and the political ramifications of their marriage.

I don’t want to post too much as the book has not been released yet, but expect to be back with your favorite characters as they explore more of their powers. Lots of banter, tough choices, and even some lovey moments.

The ending left me deceased and if you’ve read the book please message me so we can discuss!

Thank you @netgalley, @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the E-arc! This made my entire life!!
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🏷️ #newrelease #newfantasy #arcreview #bookreview #amonsoonrising #novemberreads #bookcommunity #readmorebooks #hiveinfluencer #thehurricanewars

So this book was heavy on the romance which I enjoyed. The chemistry between Alaric and Talasyn was so thick through this entire installment even though the "I want you, I need you so bad...no we can't because I am supposed to hate you" start and stop was wearing me out! Lol. The ending ruined me...Thea how could you?

I had a good time reading this book and I will be impatiently waiting on the next :)

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Thea Guanzon for the e-ARC of this amazing work! I am leaving this honest review voluntarily without coercion.

The book lost me with the plot. It just felt like it was dragging on with unnecessary filler. There was plotting with no payoff. They talked about doing stuff but didn’t do it.. It was all will they won’t they and honestly it got exhausting. While Alaric and Tala had many adorable moments I just wanted more.

Besides the void fell threat, there was sex, and training sessions. I just really wanted more politics as well in this book.

I don't know what to do with myself now! This book exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed how book 2 focused mainly on Alaric and Talasyn's growing feelings while still keeping their secrets. Ugh I cannot wait till the next book that cliffy was a doozy!

Thea Guanzon has done it again! I absolutely devoured Hurricane Wars and can say the same about Monsoon Rising (honestly, I think I loved this book better). The simmering slow burn between Talasyn and Alaric finally pays off in this book. Talasyn and Alaric’s hate to love is undeniable and their relationship grows as they’re tested with competing allegiances and an impending apocalyptic Void-fell. A Monsoon Rising is a beautiful continuation and perhaps my favorite enemies to lovers book I have read in a long time. I cannot wait to read the final installment of this series!

Also, the cliffhanger?!?!?! I need book 3 now!

This book was worth the wait. The banter and romance were really good. We get a little more on both characters childhood trauma and the sweet reactions of their partners. We get a nice conclusion for one of the main storylines from the first book. It will be very interesting to see how things continue. Especially with that ending! It will be torture to wait for the final book in this trilogy.

Granted early access through NetGalley.

Monsoon rising is one of my top reads this year! Hurricane wars was a wonderful read but was more setting the stage. In this second book of the series we get into the thick of it!

The banter between Talaysn and Alaric had me kicking my feet and gigglinggggggg!!! But there would be times where I was also so sad for each of them and what they have gone through and how it impacts them moving forward in their marriage of alliance.

Thea has once again knocked it out of the park and I am anxious for book three of this exciting tale!!

Overall: 4
Spice: 1.5-2

Wow! I enjoyed this sequel much more than book 1. I was worried that this was going to have middle book syndrome, but I was pleasantly surprised instead. While book 1 focuses heavily on world-building and establishing the political tensions, this book focuses on character development. I felt much more connected to the main characters in this book, which made me more invested in the story. The romantic tension is palpable and we do get a little more spice in this book, although it certainly is not a predominant part of the story. We get more of a “behind the scenes” look at the politics in this book, but it doesn’t drag on forever, which I appreciated. My only complaint is that I wanted more action, but that’s just personal preference. There are three big action scenes, but the rest of the book is mostly talking and training with magic. We do get more dragons in this one and I was quite pleased with that.

That ending…I could feel a betrayal coming from miles away but THAT was not what I was expecting AT ALL. I’ll be looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Voyage for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Simply put: I loved this more than The Hurricane Wars. The development of Alaric and Talasyn's relationship and how they manage to find space to be tender with each other while desperately trying to maintain their crumbling walls throughout this was delicious. I was (I am) rabid for the two of them. The writing was so well done and balanced on the razors edge of a knife to keep the perfect amount of tension. The suspense and waiting for the other shoe to drop between the two of them and have their betrayals laid bare to each other stayed all the way through the last word of the final page. My only critiques are that this felt a lot more like it was a set up for book 3 versus pushing the plot forward and that outside of Alaric, Talasyn, Elagbi, and Sevraim I don't care for any of the other characters. With the set up at the end though, I'm sure that will pull at 180 in the next book. The twists were completely unexpected between the void sever and what happens at the end of the book....I need book three immediately!!!! (But please, Thea, take your time because I absolutely can impatiently wait for perfection).

4.5 / 5
Thank you Harper Voyager, Thea Guanzon, and NetGalley for the eARC!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for sharing this book!

A Monsoon Rising is a commendable follow up to the surprise hit that was The Hurricane Wars. This book definitely showcases more romance than fantasy, so if you wanted more of that in THW, you're in for a treat.

*Contains spoilers for The Hurricane Wars, the first book in Thea Guanzon’s “The Hurricane Wars” series. Do not read this review or Monsoon Rising if you have not read The Hurricane Wars.*

A Monsoon Rising was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. Ever since I finished The Hurricane Wars I have wanted to get my hands on this book. Before I dive into my review, I must thank Thea Guanzon, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for gifting me with this digital Advanced Reader’s Copy.

The Spice:
2.5/5 — When it’s there, it’s THERE, but you just have to read to get to it.

The Great:
I must commend Guanzon on how she continued to build upon the world and magic system she created in her first book. As someone who was initially overwhelmed by the amount of information at the beginning of The Hurricane Wars, I worried that diving back into this would would be difficult, but I’m thrilled to say the opposite was true. Transitioning back into the story felt almost seamless as the world expands ahead of you adding more characters, political intrigue, and conflicts.

Throughout reading this book, I noticed quite a bit of character development not only internally for Talasyn and Alaric but externally to the world around them. Talasyn is torn between her duties as the Lachis’ka, as the Night Empress, and the guilt she feels from her past while Alaric harbors secrets of his own. The characters grow together in a wonderful way and I cannot wait to see how they continue to develop throughout the rest of the series.

The Meh:
This story, and the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn, reads like a “friends to lovers” or even “frenemies to lovers” at times. There is still a lot of slow-burn and tension, which some enjoy and some do not. I happen to lean more towards the latter group in this case because the first book fleshed out the “enemies to lovers” trope enough.

There are many time jumps throughout the story, which was very easy to follow and noted well within Guanzon’s writing, but I feel a though they could have been avoided if sequences of the story didn’t feel so repetitive at times.

Ultimately, the repetitive nature of the time jumps, some of the traveling, and the slow-burn bordering on still following the “friends to lovers” trope is what caused me to give A Monsoon Rising a 4/5 rating. None of the negatives ultimately took away my enjoyment of the story and I will be waiting for the third book in this series to come out so I can consume it just as I have the first two.

Hi! I’m Brooke and I read and review Fantasy, Romantasy, and Contemporary Romance, and Sports Romance books. Follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading next!

Even better than the first one! The chemistry between Alaric and Talasyn is just absolutely palpable which I loved. This one is definitely more character driven than the first and the plot is much slower but I was just along for the ride with the main two characters and enjoyed this one a lot! And I absolutely cannot wait for the third one to come out

I am in a state of shock after reading this book. Whatever Thea Guanzon put in this book I only want more!

A Monsoon Rising was a perfect blend of political uprising, angst between our two main characters, and action packed.

I loved the magic system throughout this book and I loved the incorporation of the dragons. Alaric and Talasyn completely have me swooning. This book will absolutely live rent free in my head.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an early eARC for this book.

A bit slow in the beginning for me. Maybe because it’s been some time since I read Hurricane Wars but it took me a bit to get into the story. This one does pick up and I had a great time reading about Talasyn and Alaric. Loved the angst between those two and the cliffhanger? Can’t wait to read the next one.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

Thank you to Thea Guanzon, NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC.

This book solidifies Thea Guanzon as an auto-buy author for me. She writes so descriptively, a great balance of plot and world building, GREAT tension. Pacing was fantastic. The first book now pales in comparison and I LOVED that book. I had it in my top five favorite books. A Monsoon Rising was the reason I wanted to try NetGalley, it didn’t disappoint.

Chapter 20 though 😮‍💨
Nose scrunching, giddy, put it down just to smile type goodness.

I loved how I thought the story was going in one direction and it goes completely out the door.

The dragons 🥹
Alarics self hatred, it was just all on point.

I don’t have anything bad to say about this book, I flew through it. Give me all the Special Editions.

I just finished hurricane wars and jumped right in… wow wow wow. I’m obsessed. The way Alaric & Talasyn grow in this book was one of my favorite things. Especially how they grow together as well as apart. How they care for each other is everything. I’m deff picking up a physical copy! Alaric 😋.
Book 3 is gonna be wild with that cliff hanger of an ending 😭

Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyage for this arc 💓

Warning! Major cliff hanger 😭 great story like the first and great character growth in this. The mc had a lot of cute moments and plenty of heat! Hoping for an arc on the next book!!!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Monsoon Rising builds wonderfully on the foundation set up in The Hurricane Wars. It’s a bit different tonally, shifting to a more character-centric narrative, so there’s less external stuff than the prior one. But there’s still quite a bit that I enjoyed, particularly the focus on the more internal family politics and how that continued to flesh out the previously existing knowledge of this world and characters.
Talasyn and Alaric’s relationship evolves this time around, with them now in an political marriage for the sake of their respective homelands, While the romance was fairly solid in the previous book, I really enjoyed seeing a more vulnerable side to both of them, even while there was still a sense of enmity at times. There is some reliance on miscommunication, but I could understand where each was coming from for the most part.
With the more internal focus, it is a little slower at times, but it was never so slow that it lacked intrigue. The political stakes also remain consequential, even when the book veers into more romantic territory. The book also culminates in a cliffhanger that had me gasping.
This was another solid installment, and I’m eager for what’s to come in the final installment. For the most part, if you enjoyed book one, I’d say you’ll also enjoy this one. And if you’re interested in a romantasy series with the enemies-to-lovers trope and a Southeast Asian inspired world, I’d recommend checking out the series so far!

I thought The Hurricane Wars would be my top read of the year-but this one was somehow BETTER?? This book picked up right were the first one left off-and threw us readers into both the middle of action and romance. Time and time again I found myself kicking my feet and giggling at Talasyn and Alaric as they dance around their feelings for each other. Often I find myself hating when characters do this, but the execution of this trope was done SO WELL that I emphasized with both parties. But I also wanted the two of them to just say screw the universe let's run off together more times than I could count.

The first book in this series is made to set up this one and all future ones in a way that I just know this and the next one will just hit harder and harder. I cannot wait to read this again and again as these characters and the world are becoming my comfort reads.

Also Thea, HOW DARE YOU. I don't know how I can wait until the next book. Seriously, I don't.