Wow! The world building, the food descriptions…the characters! I was a bit confused there but at the end it made sense. I loved it so much! Will definitely pick up books 2!!

I can consider myself truly privileged to have read this masterpiece 6 months before its release date! I immediately thank Netgalley, HarperVoyager and Thea Guanzon for allowing me to read this ARC!

The Hurricane Wars is a book that has had my attention for quite some time, and when I saw the cover reveal of the US and UK covers (both masterpieces) I wanted to read this book as soon as possible, and so when I received the ARC I started it without hesitation and it was a fantastic read!

The Hurricane Wars is one of the fantasy that contains one of the most beautiful and best written enemies to lovers romance of all time... plus it is also a perfect slow burn, full of tension, political intrigue and another trope that I love: the arranged marriage!

The two main characters are perfect, they are well built, very vivid, real and full of feelings! The double POV allows us to enter the mind of each of them and allows us to understand and appreciate them even more.
Talasyn and Alaric have phenomenal chemistry! Both come from difficult childhoods and both fight in the Hurrican Wars for different reasons and when their worlds collide everything starts to fall into place!

Another very important element of this book is the Worldbuilding: The Hurricane Wars is a Filipino-inspired fantasy and the world created by the author is perfect! Nature, technology and magic coexist creating an extraordinary environment and Thea's writing makes everything magical and extremely smooth!
The plot is never boring or obvious and all this is combined perfectly with the romance which is one of the best I've ever read in a fantasy novel! These two little idiots will make you fall in love and... wait until you read chapter 38 *sneaky eyes

I can't wait to read the next book to return to the fantastic world created by Thea Guanzon and find my two beloved idiots!
The Hurricane Wars is out everywhere on October 3, 2023! Don't miss it!

I NEED book 2!

The Hurricane Wars follows Talasyn as she navigates the inevitable end of the decade-long Hurrican Wars. She has a hidden magic that the Night Empire is bent on destroying, and she doesn't know how to use it yet. This becomes painfully clear when she fights with Alaric, the son of the Night Emporer, who wields shadows and poses a different sort of threat off the battlefield.

Gaunzon wove the heartbreak of war in with the need to win at all costs in such a beautiful manner. The book has airship battles, magic, sexual tension, and the emotional toll that war takes on all participants. Winners or losers. The main characters are young and inexperienced but in a way that feels genuine because they've only known war.

This book is for anyone who likes Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

I want to give a big shout-out to the publisher for hooking me up with an early copy of The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon. It was one of my most anticipated fantasy reads, and it definitely delivered!

This story takes us on a journey inspired by the history of the Philippines. We follow Talasyn and Alaric, bitter enemies with opposing magical abilities, who have been tangled up in the never-ending Hurricane Wars between their rival kingdoms. The author fearlessly explores the brutal aftermath of war and the effects of colonization, which added a powerful layer to the fantasy world. It was brimming with captivating myths and magic that kept me hooked until the very last page. The beginning was a bit rocky with a hefty information dump, but once I got past that, the story took off and didn't let go. The characters in this book really stole the show. The author skillfully explores their motivations and biases, allowing them to grow into better versions of themselves. But the real magic happened between Alaric and Talasyn—the tension between them, that enemies-to-lovers vibe, had me on the edge of my seat. I was constantly wondering when they would betray each other, and it kept me hooked. The ending left me a little disappointed as it didn't have that big climactic moment I was hoping for. However, despite that, I'm still invested in the story and dying to know what happens next.

All in all, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a must-read fantasy with a richly imagined world inspired by Philippine history. Although it had a rocky start and a slightly underwhelming ending, the captivating mythology, well-developed characters, and intense enemies-to-lovers dynamic make it a story worth diving into.

Honestly I am not sure how to feel about this book. I did not like the first third of the book at all. I was very confused about what was going on. The book was wordy and the names of places and people were confusing to me as well. The author starts the book right in the middle of the Hurricane Wars, so while it was full of action from the beginning, I felt very lost. Even half way through I was convinced that I would not like the book at all, but I had changed my mind by the end. I hated the way that the two main characters argued and then opened up to each other and then argued again, over and over- sometimes within the same chapter. However I think that this series has potential. I find myself wanting to read more, to know more about the magic, history, and lore of the empires. I want to know more about other characters and see how the main characters deal with their changing relationship. I do wish that there had been more aethermancing and more character development for the side characters. Overall I don't think I would read this book again, but I will consider following the series to see what happens next. I learned after I started reading that this book was based on fanfic, which made so much sense when I found out. I think the description and the cover had me thinking that the book would be different than it turned out. There are definitely audiences that this would be appealing to, this just isn't my thing.

I LOVED this book. I haven't been this excited about a fantasy series since Throne of Glass. I've seen a lot of reviews that are giving this book one star ratings, all because it started as Reylo fanfic, but honestly, that just added to my enjoyment and appreciation of it. I've read parts of the original from AO3, and it's so cool to see how the author changed the fanfic to become a fully realized book of its own. The plot is nothing groundbreaking, but it's so interesting and well done. I like the world building and the characters are great. I love that it is set in a Southeast Asia inspired world, and as someone who is weirdly interested in natural disasters, the storm ravaged world really spoke to me. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book.

My rating leans more toward 3.8.

I love the characters and what the plot is gearing towards. The world building and the amount of characters/names are pretty dense. Sometimes books either are too light or too heavy on the world building. For me, it can be a little distraction to the plot. I just personally have a hard time with keeping up with all the regions and people in general when reading books/movies/etc. I am starting to recognize it more as I'm reading it though. I think a map at the beginning would make it easier to visualize. The writing is great and and very descriptive. I love that it is in third person. Not so much plot, but more backstory and set up for the second book. I am more excited about the second book since it seems like it will actually be focused more about the Hurricane Wars rather than the back and forth issues of marriage and joining of the two regions. The intimate scene with Talasyn and Alaric was amazing. Loved it was done. The training for Talasyn and her ability to create a shield was good but a little weak. I found myself loving it and then feeling a little bored to getting a little confused with all the names and regions and places.

Thank you so much to the publishers for this advance reading copy. This book brought me out of my reading slump, It was a breath of fresh air and very much a nonstop ride. I’m so excited for book two! I loved drawing the parallels between the base material, it was so much fun!

It's wild to think I just finished reading this novel. I was there in the trenches with the rats. I watched it form and read it from the very beginning. I saw the author get her book deal and watched her create this beautiful original work. What a roller-coaster this has been. And for it all to culminate into this wonderful piece of art. I can't wait to read the sequel!

A fun space fantasy romance, perfect for fans of enemies to lovers and new takes on well-trod genre tropes and conventions.

Startingly beautiful. Guanzon uses woven prose that paints a world both alarming and alluring. On one side of the coin, there is constant war, and the other, worlds who hold constant beauty. It's across the threshhold that Alaric and Talasyn meet. I found myself waiting on baited breath for near half of the novel, which is a rare feat. For a debut novel, this is exemplary, outshining some of the lasting modern greats.

Recommended level: New Adult+
Romance: Slow burn, single detailed scene
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, heroine with special powers, morally grey love interest
Peaks: Vivid imagery, wholly new world unlike any other to compare, complex plot

Combining poetic and lyrical writing, page-turning pacing, with the push and pull of a steamy slow burn, Thea has painted a captivating masterpiece that is The Hurricane Wars. These two enemies to reluctant allies are a combo of chaos, loathing, pining, and hilarious banter.




Our two main characters, Talasyn and Alaric, are the perfect example of enemies to reluctant allies, who are forced into an alliance in order to save their people. Don’t be fooled, these two DESPISE each other. They are on two separate sides of a war and under the command of their superiors, they join in an arranged marriage in order to unite their people to prevent another war AND to explore their combined power in an effort to stop their country from being destroyed. They soon realize that they have a lot more in common that they previously realized and there is SO MUCH mutual pining. Like “I hate you so much but I relate to you and you’re kinda hot so do we really have to fight all the time” kind of thing.
⛈
Thea’s writing is the most beautiful, poetic and lyrical writing. I learned so many new words 😂 The world building is definitely complex in the first few chapters. It’s very similar to to the beginning of Crescent City where you’re given quite a bit of info. Don’t let that deter you though because it all explains itself as you keep going!
⛈
And Thea, my friend, don’t think I didn’t catch some of those Easter eggs you threw in there. You know what you did 😈

I picked this one up because I saw it recommended on Ali Hazelwood's feed, and lemme tell you, this book was everything and more 😭 you know how Anthony Bridgerton says "because she is AGGRAVATING"? That line and all the loaded meaning behind it summarises the relationship of the MCs in this book 😭 they were so feral and adorable and swoony, please 😭

The world-building and the politics and the magic system were also so cool! I look forward to seeing how it'll all be resolved in book 2!

Also, that ending?? The book ended so angstily, I'm crying out in frustration here 😭 (as was the point I guess, BUT STILL)

TWs - war on the front lines, violence, death, death of parent, estrangement by parent, emotional abuse by parent

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

The best enemies to lovers, slow burn I’ve ever read. Absolutely delicious. I didn’t realize it was the first in a series but it became more obvious as we got closer to the wedding that this story was too big for a single book but I loved that. The dynamic between nations was complex and really had me thinking. It was just as important at the romance element. Cannot wait to read more!

I didn't know this was a fan fiction, going in. I looked at the author's ig for fan art to help imagine the characters and noticed that the main characters looked a lot like Reylo. Full disclosure, that's a red flag for me. Not because of the ship, but because I've read at least three published Reylo or Reylo-inspired books (one of them was another ARC like a month ago) and they're really hit or miss. Alaric and Talasyn are written to be different characters, but it was jarring and not super fun (for me) that Alaric's every description seemed to want to remind the reader that he's supposed to be Adam Driver.

As a lover of fanfiction, I try to give published fics the benefit of the doubt, but fanfiction doesn't always translate well to original works. Reading fanfiction means being familiar with the characters you're reading going into it and (often) having the ultimate goal be them falling in love. This isn't super compatible with novels, where the audience needs to be introduced to the characters and environment. I feel THW might suffer a bit from that, and from the fact that halfway through, the plot development comes almost to a halt for the sake of relationship development. As a fanfiction, it's a 10/10, would be a very popular fic.

There were a lot of things I did like about THW, though. The magic system is really cool, even if I didn't fully understand it. The world and its politics were rich and similar in complexity to ACoTaR. Alaric and Talasyn had a compelling dynamic (I acted like the age gap didn't exist) and their tension was INSANE. The plot is unique, but is still pretty Star Wars-y if you squint; I was interested in the plot enough that I was disappointed that it got put on the back-burner for Alaric and Talasyn's relationship.

All of that being said, I enjoyed the book and it was easy to read. I think it could be very popular with the From Blood and Ash and The Love Hypothesis fanbase.

here we go. so. i consider myself to be a sort of pet expert on the phenomena of fanfiction that is scouted, acquired, then scrubbed for sale in the commercial fiction landscape. i wrote a paper about it in college. tis my. thing. i unfortunately also have a history with the star wars sequel trilogy fanbase, to make abridge of it all, i was Not a fan of rey/kylo, and this book was a long rey/kylo fanfiction in its first iteration.

in my good faith attempt to be fair and balanced, i respect that guanzon was willing to work with original lore. most fanfictions turned commercial are not genre pieces, but rather contemporary “alternate universe” works with a minimal amount of mechanics to explain to a new audience. in every instance of this fanfiction to commercial pipeline, editorial professionals are incentivized to change as little of the original work as possible as to not alienate its built in audience, which are the base off which to launch the book.

i do however think this lore was exposited clumsily, especially at the beginning. it’s so dense it kept me from connecting from the characters. to me it seems to be overcompensating its worldbuilding and i couldn't separate the metatext knowledge that the basis of the entire political system came from star wars.

i want to litigate my dislike of the original ship this novel was based on as little as possible, however i want to note that talasyn and alaric feel like separate enough from rey and kylo ren insofar as they didn’t feel like echoes of a couple of random white people in space (barring the fact that talasyn and alaric are just how shippers think rey and kylo actually are. but alas. i promised minimal litigation)

i’m quite tempted to gripe away about more fingerprints left on the book from the original fanfiction, for instance, the prose in the first 30% was thick and dense and purple as all hell, as well as being original to the book, having not been part of the original fic on ao3; but as far as the plot, it was unevenly paced and the events that finally made talasyn and alaric adhere together were hopelessly convoluted. though the book and trilogy are named after the hurricane wars, there’s very little combat in this entry, and there was no escalation when the book finally does depict action. a more accurate title would be the hurricane diplomatic negotiations.

people with more brain capacity than me can engage with the politics of loving your conqueror, whose legions annexed your land and caused the deaths of so many friends. and while the phenomenon doesn’t go unremarked upon here, the book indulges in the lovey dovey horny porny more than the turmoil and conflict it would inevitably create between you and your comrades (which i think would be very interesting to see played out in full but what i want to see is rarely what others want to see whatever). i didn’t care that much about talasyn and found alaric to be made of all the standard dark haired broody moody fantasy male love interest cliches that have been imposed upon us for going on ten years now. like i said. whatever to me

there was no real climax in the ending, no moment of catharsis that built any anticipation for me to read the second or god forbid third entries. so that’s how my review is ending! two stars out of respect for its novelty as a genre pipeline entry rather than a basic contemporary one. end of opinions.

3.5 stars rounded up

Excellent start to the series. The world building is fantastic. I really could see/feel everything in how it was described. I do tend to skim over the enemies to lovers stuff but its fine here. Reminder: lead character is a war hardened but still sheltered/lonely 19 year old. Plus I bet magic has something to do with it

I'm hopeful that the breadcrumbs in this installment, get answered in the next. This feels somewhat Star Wars inspired, and I mean that in the best possible way. I just know there's more to the Night Empire's begining, Talas mother and Vela.

The Hurricane Wars is the perfect pick for someone looking for a classic fantasy novel. It draws upon popular tropes to craft a storyline full of action and emotions. Protagonists Talasyn and Alaric are heirs to enemy empires, witnesses to constant war between their lands. A treaty between them would be beneficial to both sides, forcing the pair to be married. Both Talasyn and Alaric must navigate their new circumstances together, while both trying to serve their own ends.
This book weirdly reminded me a lot of the Love Hypothesis (I think it was the love interest) but also Dance of Thieves and maybe a little bit of To Kill a Kingdom. If you like any of those books give The Hurricane Wars a try. Guanzon does a good job establishing the world that the characters live in. It was easy to understand and follow in that it was not very complex, with Talasyn not traveling too many different places or encountering situations that would need a lot of explaining to an audience.
I will say that I think the romance in this book was simultaneously a bit rushed and too slowly developed. Personally I liked the fantasy aspect of the storyline more than the romance because the characters didn't seem to have a very strong or deep connection. I feel like with the amount of time that it took for anything to actually happen between them, there could have been a stronger development of their connection so that it was more believable. That said, I think that it was the author's intention to create the interactions and pacing the way that she did, it did just come across to me in a way that made me invested in the story for reasons other than the romantic plot.
The Hurricane Wars ends on a major cliffhanger, so I will definitely be reading the next book to see what happens for Talasyn and Alaric.

The Hurricane Wars is one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and I was beyond excited to be approved for an ARC on NetGalley. My husband is Filipino, born in Angeles City, and I always feel a bit drawn to the stories inspired by the Philippines so I can continue to learn more about his culture and history.

Author Thea Guanzon takes a fantasy approach to the hurricane season that unfortunately often ravages this small country year after year. I really found her magic system super unique and interesting, though I admit I had to look up a TON of words (mostly sailing jargon) the first half of the book which made it start really slow for me. Or maybe you’re smarter than me and you won’t feel this way but it did take me a couple of days to get through the first 50%.

But do not be discouraged, things brightened up anytime that Alaric and Talasyn were on the page together. Whether they were brutally fighting each other or kissing each other’s faces off, their passion was so fiery! And there’s DRAGONS! Cant beat a book with dragons in it, I think that’s an unwritten rule somewhere.

This was definitely a slow slow burn enemies (HUGE enemies) to lovers. The Hurricane Wars does get a bit spicy towards the end, not too graphic but graphic enough I wanted to bring it up. The reason being that I see both a YA Fantasy and a New Adult genre tag on Goodreads so just a heads up!

Anyway, I am excited for the trajectory of the story. The author ends the book at a good place and I feel like we are only really beginning to get into the nitty gritty of things. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Thank you so much to Avon and HarperVoyager for blessing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange iI for an honest review!

So this book has a lot of strengths: the magic system is a lot of fun and I foresee people loving it, even though it's not necessarily super creative or new. There's enough laid out in the novel, and yet still a lot of mystery left to keep readers interested. The worldbuilding is super interesting: I loved the airships, the promise of dragons, and the primary setting of this book in particular, which again, gives the reader a layered picture of the story while still leaving a lot left for the next books in the series.

Sometimes the writing is a bit toooo descriptive and overly reliant on metaphors/similes and purple prose in general. I can see some readers not loving this, as it can actually slow down or cut through interesting scenes with long descriptions that aren't always needed so much. However, this definitely didn't keep me from enjoying the story, and I think overall I can see this being refined in later books.

One thing to know going into this book is that it is heavy on romance, and yes it is enemies to lovers. While I have been critical of this trend in adult romantasy books recently (and in general, I'd argue that publishing is a bit too obsessed with adult fantasies centering romance completely, simply due to the success of certain authors, when truly it is NOT always needed), when it's done well, I'm excited for it, and I think this is an instance where it adds to the book.

I'm interested to see how these two characters continue to grow and what they continue to reveal about their backgrounds, as I feel that we actually have just a small part of the picture of who they are. I think those who love romance centered in fantasy will find this to be a satisfying story in the vein of ACOTAR, where the plot and magic are still quite interesting, but the romance often takes center stage. Those who don't love heavily romantic fantasies may not love it, but I don't think that's a mark against the book.

My biggest takeaway: I just think this was really REALLY fun. It takes on tropes that plenty of other authors and stories have, but the setting, the world, the cultural elements, and the character personalities really make this story shine. I'm not sure what the next books will bring, and what other secrets will be revealed, and that is also exciting and fun.