A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon was a little bit slower sequel to the Hurricane Wars, but still solid. Talasyn and Alaric's tension and forbidden attraction was sizzling. The world-building, and looming cataclysmic event keeps the stakes high and kept me switching between the ebook and audiobook to keep reading.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A MONSOON RISING picks up around where we left off in the first book in the series. Guanzon instantly thrusts her readers into the action, the tension, and the wonderfully crafted world she has created.

What I love so much about Guanzon’s series is not only the complexities in the political and familial dynamics but the way those relationships feed off the landscape of the countries, the magic, and the lore. All of the background and descriptions of the traditions of each land inform the people that we encounter. Not to mention, the characters are so three-dimensional, and the facets of their personalities are brilliantly conceived. You can’t help but feel like a fly on the wall.

I am not giving any spoilers or getting too in-depth about the tale because you need to read this if you are as addicted to THE HURRICANE WARS as I was. There were ups and downs, more intimate moments, heightened and conflicted emotions, duplicity, and shocking twists. And yes, all I will tell you is that there is a cliffhanger of all cliffhangers at the end. It will be leaving you clamoring for more. Trust me.

Series Note: So far I have adored this series. However, it did take me a minute to get back into the swing of things with the characters and the lay of the land. And it is important to note, I do not suggest reading this book without having read THE HURRICANE WARS. Also, if you are a reader who wants to know the whole story, you may want to wait until Guanzon finishes her series or until after the next book. But if you are like me and want to read each as they come out, you can pick things up relatively quickly and continue down Alaric and Talasyn’s journey.

Audiobook Note: This audiobook brings back narrator Jeanne Syquia and adds Kaleo Griffith to Alaric’s voice. The back and forth between the characters add much more interaction than the previous audiobook for THE HURRICANE WARS. The pace was wonderful and a delightful listening experience. I highly recommend getting both in the series because you may want a refresher with book 3. Trust me…there has to be a book three.

A Monsoon Rising is an exciting and intense follow-up to The Hurricane Wars that kept me hooked from start to finish. The enemies-to-lovers romance between Alaric and Talasyn is full of tension, passion, and heartache. They’ve been forced into a marriage that was meant to end years of fighting, but instead, it ignites a whole new storm—both politically and emotionally. The mix of magical adventures, political schemes, and dangerous choices makes the stakes high and the plot twisty.

I loved the Southeast Asian-inspired world the author created, with rich world-building that added depth to the story. The dynamic between the characters is compelling, and their struggle to trust each other while navigating bigger threats makes for a thrilling read. The slow burn of their romance, paired with the impending magical catastrophe, adds just the right amount of urgency to the plot. If you enjoyed the first book, this one definitely delivers on the action and emotional drama, with a cliffhanger that’ll have you eagerly waiting for the next installment!

This book quickly shot up to my favorites of 2024. All the slow burn of the first was worth it for the spice and tension in this one!!!! I nearly lost my mind at the cliffhanger, but I'm so excited to see where we go next. The audiobook had me in a chokehold, ignoring the rest of my responsibilities to stay locked into the plights of Alaric and Talasyn. The narrator was incredible, and I loved being able to know the proper pronunciation of every name and location.

A fantastic conclusion to one of my favorite new romantasy duologies in recent years. Picking up where The hurricane wars left off, we get to see how Talasyn's political marriage of convenience plays out in this enemies to lovers slow burn romance. Great on audio and perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and authors like S. A. Chakraborty. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. I'm excited to see what Thea Guanzon writes next!

Honestly, this has to be the most boring duet I’ve read all year—like, seriously, nothing stood out. The characters were so flat, I couldn’t even bring myself to care about them. I don’t know what it was, but they just felt lifeless. The romance? Even worse. It was so lackluster, I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. And don’t even get me started on the FMC—she was absolutely insufferable. I honestly couldn’t stand her. The writing wasn’t any better, and the plot was a total drag. The whole fantasy element felt forced, I just couldn’t vibe with any part of this book. It was one of those reads where I found myself checking the page count way too often, hoping it would end soon. Complete disappointment.

The romance in the first book burned even brighter in the second and I loved it! These two characters have serious chemistry and it was great to see it play out even more. The stakes are higher and they have to join their magical forces in this one which always creates excellent drama and tension. The audiobooks are a fantastic way to enjoy this series and the narration is spot on.

a good continuation after book 1. It was nice to see the characters grow and develop in this story as well. There were some pacing issues, but honestly it was not that bad. I really liked this book a lot.

So……I loved the interactions between talasyn and alaric but it felt like something was missing. I still love them tho. I love their growth together and as individuals. While this book felt like it was kinda slow at times I really enjoyed it, although not as much I enjoyed the first book. Definitely a solid sequel and I can not wait for the next one.

I’m on my second read and I enjoyed it just as much. The narrators do such a great job that I honestly think I may prefer the audio.

4.5⭐️s

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the eAudiobook ARC! Monsoon Rising continues the push-pull story of Alaric and Talasyn who share a deep passion for one another, but also feel they must betray one another for the sake of their respective kingdoms. Monsoon Rising is full of threats, battles, passion, and lack of communication. While progress lacks with actual betrayal, the storm is certainly brewing around them. The book suffers a bit from "middle book syndrome," but the characters and action will keep readers engaged and looking forward to the next book. The audiobook is expertly narrated by Kaleo Griffith and Jeanne Syquia, who build the world and bring the characters to life with their voices.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan and am intrigued by any Reylo-inspired stories. My favorite aspect of this book (and its predecessor) is the romance and blossoming relationship between Alaric and Talasyn. I love the concept of balacing light and shadow. Two stories in, though, and I'm still trying to reconcile the different aspects of the worldbuilding (aethermancy, airships, but also... dragons). Additionally, I feel like how the voidfell plot point played out was a little anticlimatic considering it was a main driver of the first book.

I've now listened to this audiobook twice and am still getting a little confused about the supporting characters' roles, perhaps because some of them are called by different names/titles and make brief appearances in the story. I recommend reading (or re-reading) The Hurricane Wars right before diving into this one to minimize confusion.

All that being said, I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next installment!

Title: A Monsoon Rising
Author: Thea Guanzon
Series: A Hurricane Wars Book #2
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Kateo Griffin and Jeanne Syquia
Publisher: Harper Audio Adult/Harper Audio
Genre: Multicultural, Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date: December 10, 2024
My Rating: 2.6 Stars
Pages 400

I love to read but also enjoy a great audiobook. I have many books on my TBR shelf but was all caught up with my audiobooks. As I was searching this story kept popping up. In fact this was my third search in the past few weeks and I thought okay I’ll try it.

The main characters are Alaric and Talasyn (the audiobook narrators did a great job in performing. I didn’t read Book One "Hurricane Wars" however I felt I knew these two.
Together they are out to save the world. However, I found their romance a bit strange for a second book. A bit of enemies to lovers, but they still love/hate each other. There are some very romantic scenes but Alaric states it meant nothing to him and Talasyn found it anticlimactic - oh wait or was that the food? Anyway Talasyn seems to still hate Alaric.

I hung in there but was disappointed that it wasn’t the big WOW or the ‘best book ever’ I was expecting.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Adult/Harper Audio for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 10, 2024.

Overall I thought this was a decent book! It's more romance than political so if you are looking for that this is the book for you! There was a lot of steamy moments that I enjoyed and overall the story was good. It did have my hated trope of miscommunication. It never makes sense to me why they don't say the things that mean to say. The second book goes away from enemies to lovers and feels more like forbidden love? In both POV's you can see that they want each other but don't act on it to keep up appearances and so their country's still think they will turn on one another. The ending was a bit of a surprise too! I thought the audio narrators were great! They showed more emotions than most so it felt more like acting that just reading the book out loud.

The audiobook for A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon was absolutely fantastic! It was entertaining, enthralling and quite the adventure. I really did enjoy my time listening to the audiobook for this fantastic series. It was very satisfying and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. The narration was great and I was so into the story because of it. I highly recommend checking out this series and it would be a great series to listen to on audiobook.

That ending, the betrayal on her emotions AND the mic drop style of information. This one had a lot more of the romance (building?) than the first but still some action and a lot of the political aspects of the first.

This was a great edition to the original story which I loved so much. Very satisfying.

Books definitely came out a bit far apart and with book 1 being so information dense, it feels like I forgot a lot of important characters and plot points. Book 2 does an okay job at reminding the reader, but it's still a lot and very information dense.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of A Monsoon Rising! I was so excited to read this and it absolutely did not disappoint. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait for the next installment!!!!

I enjoyed this follow up to the Hurricane Wars. I loved the creative worldbuilding, the politics, scheming, angsty romance and the magic. Excellent cliff hanger!

This was EXCELLENT! Guazon's ability to craft lore for her world is just astounding! The world-building and character development had be absolutely riveted! Dying to read book three!