Thea Guanzon

The Hurricane Wars

❓ #QOTD What was your last five-star read?

🦇 Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn found family among soldiers fighting in the Hurricane Wars. They're unaware of her light magic, capable of cutting through the Night Empire’s shadows. Prince Alaric, the emperor’s only son & heir, has been tasked with obliterating any threats to the Empire, including Talasyn; a girl burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, & ignited the Hurricane Wars. When he tries to kill her, their powers merge. An even greater danger is coming, & the strange magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Talasyn and Alaric must decide…are they fated to join hands, or destroy each other? 

💜 What a rush! I know I'm late to the party, but I can't believe people aren't talking about this (still progressing) trilogy more. I've read 90 books so far this year, & few stand up to the intensity of this one. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: Talasyn and Alaric are fire & ice; a perfect, sizzling contrast. It's not their differences that power their story, but the raw, painful similarities of grief, loss, & loneliness they share. Guanzon does a wonderful job of stringing these threads of similarity throughout the foundation of each character, long before they met, weaving the chasms between them shut as they learn to find solace & support in each other. They instantly reminded me of Katara and Zuko (aided by the South Asian cultural influences), but it wasn't until after finishing the book that I learned they're from a Rylo fan fiction. Unfortunately, many of the characters feel flat when there's so much more to give them (a common case with fanfic characters). Amidst a war, everyone's motivations are often the same: survival. We see little of what else these characters want; desires that could help them stand apart.

✨ Plot and Pacing: The first part--that is, the war--dragged for me. Generally speaking, war from a soldier's perspective can be mundane. The first third of the book, however, should have drawn us into this beautiful world, helped us fall in love with the characters, taught us to sympathize with both sides of the story. The pace speeds up once Talasyn and Alaric meet again after the war, only to drag once more throughout the negotiations. There are a few places where removing repetition would have benefited the pacing.

✨ World-Building: This vibrant, beautiful world is so easy to escape into. I was surprised that we left the war so quickly, instead stepping into a world that's only known peace, moving the story onto a different type of battlefield. Nenavar is a tropical paradise that we explore as Talasyn does, the vivid language almost spellbinding. I loved seeing hints of South Asian culture as a way to make the world familiar to readers. 

✨ Romance: Okay. So you know I LOVE witty banter in an enemies-to-lovers story. This banter isn't witty; it's deliciously vicious. Talasyn and Alaric spar with words just as well as they do magic, fighting for power mentally & emotionally as often as physically. Normally, I'm not a fan of an arranged marriage story, but the Nenavarene political move of alliances through marriage works. That being said, I do NOT love this romanticism of colonialism. Yes, they clash constantly, & the romance is a slow burn, & they fight it (only to lose themselves in hate, a passion these characters claim is so similar to love), but when you remove the delicious tension, Alaric still thinks it's right for the Night Empire to conquer & rule. Despite this opportunity for character development on his part, so many people have died. Even as she fights those desires, Talasyn IS giving into them. Given our reality, a reality full of oppression & colonization, it feels ICKY shipping these two. 

✨ Mystery/Suspense: A few seeds have been planted for potential surprise reveals. We'll see how they blossom in the next two books. 

🦇 Recommended to fans of Avatar the Last Airbender (or Zutara and Rylo shippers), Fourth Wing, and ACOTAR. 

❝ Alaric had the habit of eclipsing everything else, making her throw caution to the wind for the sake of crossing blades and wits with him on the battlefields they’d fought over. ❞

❝ “You,” Alaric said, “are a beautiful little idiot.” ❞

❝ “You look like you want to kill me.” “You look like you enjoy it,” she snapped. ❞

❝ “You’ve been fighting your whole life...Your instinct is to strike first, before anyone can hurt you. But sometimes it’s the blow that molds us.” ❞

❝ “The stars guide me home to your heart.” ❞

❝ “I bring you the whole of my heart at the rising of the moon and the setting of the stars.” ❞

❝ This was Alaric, her husband, her enemy, her dark mirror, and the Lightweave in her veins soared in triumph, recognizing him for what he was, calling out to his shadows, and everything was golden, was eclipse, was forever, was theirs alone. ❞

❝ “You’re always beautiful. Even when you want to string my guts up like paper lanterns.” ❞

Jazelle H

🦇 The Hurricane Wars Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What was your last five-star read?
 
🦇 Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn found family among soldiers fighting in the Hurricane Wars. They're unaware of her light magic, capable of cutting through the Night Empire’s shadows. Prince Alaric, the emperor’s only son & heir, has been tasked with obliterating any threats to the Empire, including Talasyn; a girl burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, & ignited the Hurricane Wars. When he tries to kill her, their powers merge. An even greater danger is coming, & the strange magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Talasyn and Alaric must decide…are they fated to join hands, or destroy each other? 

💜 What a rush! I know I'm late to the party, but I can't believe people aren't talking about this (still progressing) trilogy more. I've read 90 books so far this year, & few stand up to the intensity of this one. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: Talasyn and Alaric are fire & ice; a perfect, sizzling contrast. It's not their differences that power their story, but the raw, painful similarities of grief, loss, & loneliness they share. Guanzon does a wonderful job of stringing these threads of similarity throughout the foundation of each character, long before they met, weaving the chasms between them shut as they learn to find solace & support in each other. They instantly reminded me of Katara and Zuko (aided by the South Asian cultural influences), but it wasn't until after finishing the book that I learned they're from a Rylo fan fiction. Unfortunately, many of the characters feel flat when there's so much more to give them (a common case with fanfic characters). Amidst a war, everyone's motivations are often the same: survival. We see little of what else these characters want; desires that could help them stand apart.

✨ Plot and Pacing: The first part--that is, the war--dragged for me. Generally speaking, war from a soldier's perspective can be mundane. The first third of the book, however, should have drawn us into this beautiful world, helped us fall in love with the characters, taught us to sympathize with both sides of the story. The pace speeds up once Talasyn and Alaric meet again after the war, only to drag once more throughout the negotiations. There are a few places where removing repetition would have benefited the pacing.

✨ World-Building: This vibrant, beautiful world is so easy to escape into. I was surprised that we left the war so quickly, instead stepping into a world that's only known peace, moving the story onto a different type of battlefield. Nenavar is a tropical paradise that we explore as Talasyn does, the vivid language almost spellbinding. I loved seeing hints of South Asian culture as a way to make the world familiar to readers. 

✨ Romance: Okay. So you know I LOVE witty banter in an enemies-to-lovers story. This banter isn't witty; it's deliciously vicious. Talasyn and Alaric spar with words just as well as they do magic, fighting for power mentally & emotionally as often as physically. Normally, I'm not a fan of an arranged marriage story, but the Nenavarene political move of alliances through marriage works. That being said, I do NOT love this romanticism of colonialism. Yes, they clash constantly, & the romance is a slow burn, & they fight it (only to lose themselves in hate, a passion these characters claim is so similar to love), but when you remove the delicious tension, Alaric still thinks it's right for the Night Empire to conquer & rule. Despite this opportunity for character development on his part, so many people have died. Even as she fights those desires, Talasyn IS giving into them. Given our reality, a reality full of oppression & colonization, it feels ICKY shipping these two. 

✨ Mystery/Suspense: A few seeds have been planted for potential surprise reveals. We'll see how they blossom in the next two books. 

🦇 Recommended to fans of Avatar the Last Airbender (or Zutara and Rylo shippers), Fourth Wing, and ACOTAR. 

✨ The Vibes ✨
🌀 Romantic Fantasy
🌀 Enemies to Lovers
🌀 Forced Proximity
🌀 War/Occupation
🌀 Southeast Asian/BIPOC
🌀 Marriage of Convenience
🌀 Debut Novel
🌀 Slow Burn
🌀 Feminine Rage

💬 Quotes 
❝ Alaric had the habit of eclipsing everything else, making her throw caution to the wind for the sake of crossing blades and wits with him on the battlefields they’d fought over. ❞
❝ “You,” Alaric said, “are a beautiful little idiot.” ❞
❝ “You look like you want to kill me.” “You look like you enjoy it,” she snapped. ❞
❝ “You’ve been fighting your whole life...Your instinct is to strike first, before anyone can hurt you. But sometimes it’s the blow that molds us.” ❞
❝ “The stars guide me home to your heart.” ❞
❝ “I bring you the whole of my heart at the rising of the moon and the setting of the stars.” ❞
❝ This was Alaric, her husband, her enemy, her dark mirror, and the Lightweave in her veins soared in triumph, recognizing him for what he was, calling out to his shadows, and everything was golden, was eclipse, was forever, was theirs alone. ❞
❝ “You’re always beautiful. Even when you want to string my guts up like paper lanterns.” ❞

Maggie Shelton 

Lydia White

the way that men acted when the joker came out? this is my joker except i will be SO much worse

The Hurricane Wars

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