Title: The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars #1)
Author: Thea Guanzon
Genre: Fantasy, epic fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Hardcover 
Length: 470 pages

Read if you like: enemies to lovers to enemies, epic fantasy, intricate world building, significant political scheming, arranged marriages, slow burn romance, Reylo fan fiction, Southeast Asian inspired fantasy

Rating: 

I picked up The Hurricane Wars almost exclusively based on the hype of a handful of bookstagrammers who make recommendations I trust. In the end, this was a wise choice because I absolutely loved it. 

This book originally began as a Reylo fan fiction, which it turns out, is something I really, thoroughly enjoy. It was a dense plot with a lot of exceptionally intricate world-building that felt overwhelming at times, but even though I felt like you had to work to get through the first half of this book, the payoff was so good for me. The fiery, unique characters, the lush universe and politically charged societies, and a romance that had me utterly enthralled all kept me hooked.

I don’t necessarily think this book is for everyone (particularly if you aren’t an epic, complicated fantasy lover), but since I base my ratings on my enjoyment, this was an easy 4.5 stars for me. If you like the concept of Reylo, want the slowest of slow burns, and are interested in Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy, I’d definitely pick this book up. 

The Book Synopsis: The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn has found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom. But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire’s shadows. 

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. 

Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion–one that could save their world…or destroy it. 

The Review

Oh my goodness, THIS BOOK.

Before I started this, I’d read that it was Reylo-inspired, and that ended up feeling like an important piece of information to me because admittedly, the world-building was complex in The Hurricane Wars. Knowing that some inspiration came from Reylo helped me more effectively wrap my mind around the concept and construct the world in my head, but it was still a climb to grasp everything enough to be able to settle back and just enjoy the plot and the characters. 

The story also felt like you had to put in some work to reap the rewards, but I mean that in a good way. There’s a lot of backstory and action and building that has to happen for the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn to hold the weight that Guanzon eventually builds to. They’re both such fierce warriors with incredible tenacity and loyalty to their respective sides, it’s an intrinsic part of who they are that has to be understood for their combined arc to suck you in. It’s the slowest of slow burns and you never really get satisfaction for what you hope will transpire but all that did was make me crave more. By the end, I was turning pages as quickly as I could, desperately hoping for more scenes between the two of them. 

I loved the incorporation of aspects of Southeast Asian culture, and the societies on which the plot was predicated were gorgeously detailed. I felt like I had a keen understanding of the deep-rooted oppression and complications of opposing sides of the war by the time the story concluded. I am very curious to see where the magic aspects go from here as well, given that I feel like Guanzon only scratched the surface of the magic systems she’s created.

I think there’s a huge amount of potential for the next book in this series now that the world is so well-established and the characters are drawn out. I thought there might be a little larger of a crescendo toward the end, and the pacing in the first half of the book did lag a little, but I’m still happy with how everything panned out and still found the book to be incredibly enjoyable. This was a great read for me, but it’s one I’d probably recommend more heavily to hardcore fantasy lovers or those with a keen interest in Star Wars/Reylo. It’s a little more niche in its appeal, but fantastic if that niche is for you.