The Hurricane Wars: The epic new enemies to lovers romantasy, packed with passion, adventure and magic: Book 1

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i would say that people who thought this was boring in the first 25% — it does end up getting better, but not enough to waste time on, imo. The characters change their opinion of each other as soon as it becomes convenient, but those feelings are far from earned. When you are reading The Hurricane Wars, you can feel the 'fanfic-ness' of it all. Thea Guanzon does an amazing job at the beginning providing some details on the world and the war that is going on around it, but after a blast of 1-2 chapters, things start to drop off very fast.

I am so sad about DNFing because this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I gave it my best shot but unfortunately, I couldn't force myself to continue the story. And look, I LOVE romantasy, wartime stories, and enemies to lovers. This should have been my cup of tea. But sadly, it fell short in every way possible. 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! Talasyn a lightweaver is fighting as a soldier against the Night Empire in the Hurricane Wars. Prince Alaric is uses his Shadow magic and hasn't met his equal until he fights Talasyn in the battle field. Soon these two discover that when their magic is combined they create something powerful. With a threat looming in the near distance these two must decide if they are willing to come together to defeat a threat larger than both of their forces. The world building and magic system were so engrossing and they were both deeply intertwined in such a comprehensive manner. As a fantasy lover, I absolutely loved this! It was so cool to see how certain characters (Alaric and Gaheris with the Shadowgate, Talasyn with the Lightweave) lived with their magic and how they used it. I also loved how magical technology was a huge part of this world, with the aether hearts powering the ships and the stormships with their storm powers. So, so cool!All Talasyn has ever known are the Hurricane Wars. An orphan of the struggle, she uses the power of light to fight for her people against the Night Empire. The Hurricane Wars is easily the most showstopping Fantasy of the year and it lived up to all of the hype building around it. With its luscious worldbuilding, witty banter, sexual tension that leaves you breathless and characters that you are sad to say goodbye to, I have no doubt this book will be beloved by all. By the second chapter I was ready to demand an on screen adaption. It's slowburn in the best way and it drags you along, begging you for more. And the catalyst... boy was it a catalyst. I will never look at the phrase "My wife" in the same way again. After the 40% mark, the story turned into a typical romantasy with the marriage of convenience trope up the wazoo. There weren't really any plot twists to throw a wrench into things, which is why this isn't a solid 4 or 4.5 stars for me. For a wartime fantasy story, it felt way too lighthearted. From the dialogue to the overall tone, I didn't feel the gritty, dark wartime vibes I expected. The most impactful thing that happened was Talasyn's friend's death at the beginning but after that, I never felt a single emotion. The trilogy will follow an orphan rebel as she finds out she can summon light and create weapons and then must defeat or align with a prince who can summon shadows.

I had a couple of bookish friends DNF this novel in the first 25-30%, so ymmv. But I actually loved that section of the novel. Sure, the prose has sprinklings of purple in it, but I didn't find it too distracting from what the author was trying to convey.Natasha Bardon, Publishing Director says: ‘I’m so thrilled that I get to work with Thea, Thao and Julia. Thea has built an incredible new world for fans to get lost in and The Hurricane Wars is everything I love about Fantasy. I’m excited to watch this fresh, bold and exciting new talent make waves in a genre where HarperVoyager continues to break incredible debut voices.’ And as an Asian-American from Maritime Southeast Asia, I appreciate the little tidbits scattered throughout the story! (ex. soy "pudding", ikan, etc.) You have to learn the rules of the game, and then you have to play better than anyone else." -Albert Einstein

That third point may have affected my experience with The Hurricane Wars. When I requested it, I had no idea it was a Reylo fanfic turned into a book, and if I had known it was, I'm not sure if I would've done so. So take that into consideration. I have to say that the writing by Thea Guanzon is so lyrical and beautiful. I had passages after passage highlighted because of the vivid imagery. And let's be honest - nothing makes me love a book more than a marriage of convenience trope. The slow burn between Talasyn and Alaric was slooooooow, but the tension and angst was always there which I love in a romantasy.Thea Guanzon says: ‘As a lifelong devotee of speculative fiction, I never dreamed that I’d one day have the opportunity to share an epic fantasy of my own with the world—and combine it with my other great love, romance, to boot! When I began envisioning this trilogy, I knew that I wanted to write a story about magic, about two people finding their way to each other against all odds—and I also wanted to write a story about my homeland, about our culture and all that we have overcome and what lies ahead of us still. The Hurricane Wars has a strong beginning for high fantasy lovers and I was extremely excited about it. After that, the romance takes over and the politics assume a less central aspect to the story. Was I disappointed the romance takes such a central role in the story? A bit yes. The premise of the book is intriguing and I hated that it felt more bland, at least against my expectations. Did I still enjoyed the book? Absolutely! HarperVoyager is proud to have acquired a new fantasy trilogy, The Hurricane Wars by exciting Filipino debut author, Thea Guanzon. The series will be set in a Southeast Asian-inspired world and features a wartime enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of magic, airships, strange beasts, and a marriage of political convenience between sworn foes. Natasha Bardon, Publishing Director, HarperVoyager UK and Julia Elliott, Associate Editor, HarperVoyager US, acquired World English rights to The Hurricane Wars, three books by Thea Guanzon, from Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Talasyn is your typical stubborn, author self-insert, ~Strong Female Character~ suffering from lots of trauma. Alaric is also your typical broody, shadow daddy suffering from mommy and daddy issues. So, really, there's nothing new here. Prince Alaric, the emperor's only son and heir, has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire's rule with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, Alaric has never been bested. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. In a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.

But I'll admit, it was slightly confusing at first because the author threw everything at the reader all at once, and there was a huge action scene in the beginning that made it hard to acclimate to the world, the characters, and the magic system. An incredible debut full of rich atmosphere, clever world building, opposing magic, and sizzling romance, The Hurricane Wars is my newest obsession."— KERRI MANISCALCO, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Throne of the FallenI can consider myself truly privileged to have read this masterpiece 6 months before its release date! I immediately thank Netgalley, HarperVoyager Uk and Thea Guanzon for allowing me to read this ARC! That said, I will talk about what didn't work for me, and then go into why I think it's going to be some folk's favorite book of 2023. While the early chapters attempt to expand outward for a brief moment, the book only begins to shrink inward. Side characters that seemed like they had the potential to become interesting turn into pawns to move the main characters (Alaric and Talasyn) where they need to go to fall in love, or sounding boards for the main characters to outwardly express how they feel. Plot points start to feel contrived and hard to believe. Conflict becomes muddied and rushed in service of seeing our protagonists fall in love. Thao Le comments: ‘Thea Guanzon is a master at creating delectable tension and chemistry between her characters and I can’t wait for readers to swoon over this enemies-to-lovers starcrossed romance set against a fantastical Southeast Asian inspired world. I’m so excited to be working with her and the Harper team whose enthusiasm radiates for Thea’s imaginative and cinematic storytelling.’