The Hurricane Wars: A Novel

Off Service Book Recs

A girl, a boy, and the tides of war turning against them...

"For as long as she can remember, Talasyn has been running - born under the dark shadow of the Night Empire, she's been first an orphan, than a soldier under siege in the Hurricane Wars, fighting tooth and nail for herself and the found family she's made amongst her fellow soldiers. But Talasyn is also running from a 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. Forced to the brink on the battlefield, she allows her light to burn brightly in self-defense in front of Alaric Ossinast, heir to the Night Emperor and shadow-wielding weapon of the Empire. Hell-bent on destroying the wielder of a power which killed his grandfather, turned his father into a dark shell of a man, and ignited the Hurricane Wars, he turns his power on hers - only for their forces of light and dark to merge, creating a power the likes of which has never been seen before. The tides of war are changing, and Talasyn and Alaric know that this war can only end with them. Caught between empires and the strange new magic that flows between them, a dream of peace and a way to save their word could be within grasp - if they are able to put aside their differences. Trapped in an uneasy alliance, they will either confront the secrets that threaten to tear their world apart at the roots -including the passion stretching taught between them - or succumb to their avarice and destroy everything. On my third reread in anticipation of "This Shattered Tempest" arriving late this year, I am again struck by the timelessness of this story - a girl, a boy, a war at the center of their universe and their hearts. I am just as enamored with the characters and the world built by Thea Guanzon here - she took something that started as a rat-friendly AO3 story and breathed such vigor and life into it that it's now spread wings and found its own path, rich in South Asian folklore, the yearning of a thousand suns, and the tension of a war within and without. As I've thrown myself back into reading as an adult, this is the story I come back to year after year as the one that sits with me once the last page is turned - for all that tension, all that political intrigue, all that is yet to come, this is a story built for the lonely; the seekers; those who want a man to be cowed by his attraction for the foil he never knew he wanted; those who see themselves as watchers to a love story they'd never seek for themselves; those who know the yearning of what was and what could be, if things were different; those who love the lush and inviting world steeped in precious gems and gold (though it's not all that glitters); and those that know the eye of the storm is where things will get serious. Thea will always be an insta-read author for me, and as a former rat, the Reylo-coded stories will always be snatched in my little rat hands. "The Hurricane Wars" is an object of beauty, a fantastic ride into romantasy, and a creeping addiction that will surely break hearts as it heads into its second act. ["

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April 5, 2026 Verified Purchase

Jessica

What this book lacks in world-building it makes up for in the enemies-to-allies-to-lovers plot.

"“The Hurricane Wars” follows Talasyn and Prince Alaric, two bitter enemies with opposing magical abilities, as they are thrust into an uneasy alliance to bring an end to the Hurricane Wars. But a greater threat is coming, and the searing passion they find in each other could either save their world or destroy it. As a huge Star Wars fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Guanzon’s debut novel! I found great enjoyment in identifying connections between “The Hurricane Wars” and the films (7-9) as well as the ways in which Guanzon branches out to build the relationship dynamic between Alaric and Talasyn (inspired by Kylo Ren and Rey). I went feral over the addition of the arranged marriage trope that Guanzon incorporated into her storyline and really like how she infused Southeast Asian culture into Talasyn’s background. I wasn’t originally a Reylo shipper, but Guanzon has successfully converted me. For readers picking this one up without having seen Star Wars, this book has its pitfalls. The magic of fanfiction is that writers can create an alternate universe where beloved characters that may not have otherwise been romantically attached can get together. Very minimal world-building is needed because the assumption is that the target audience is already familiar with the source material. The problem is that traditionally published novels don’t work that way. Readers aren’t always part of certain fandoms and, in my opinion, “The Hurricane Wars” (part of the fanfic-to-romance pipeline) suffers from assuming everyone is a Star Wars fan. I came into this book with a full understanding of the characters, the magic system, and the conflict. I can see how others who have not seen the films could easily become lost because at the end of the day, the goal of this book is for Reylo to get together, even if it is to the detriment of the world-building, plot, and conflict. I think that is why part I felt so rushed to me. Part I is not as developed as part II because only the bare minimum is done in terms of developing the world and magic system to establish that Alaric and Talasyn are enemies. Part II was much more interesting because that is where the sexual tension, angst, and banter between the characters finally comes into play. It is clear that the romance is what drives this book in comparison to the war that is going on or the magic that is present. I didn’t mind this, which is why I’ll likely pick up “A Monsoon Rising”. I’m ultimately glad I stuck with this book despite getting bogged down by part I because I absolutely devoured part II. And hey, if this is the book that convinces more people to watch Star Wars, I’m willing to look past its shortcomings. ["

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May 4, 2024 Verified Purchase

E.K. Rochford

Judge this book by the cover-- for once, the inside is as fantastic as the outside.

"Guanzon's debut blew me away. I am stingy with my stars, but there was nothing missing from this work. Upon learning that it was an adapted fanfiction, my expectations were low for the story. Modern romantasy has exhausted itself and some of the most popular works are tired copies of other copies. But I'm a fan of the original couple, so I was intrigued. Guanzon does not disappoint. I was impressed by the fresh and vivid world she created. Not only creates, but she SELLS it, she grabs you by the hair and drags you in. She has the best feel for the balance between exposition and action that I've seen in a long time. Her characters are fully formed, realistic and driven by real desires and real fears. We can feel for them a we read. Even if we don't agree, Guanzon makes us understand intimately. The romance is the only sort of slow burn, enemies-to-lovers I'm interested in. No silly misunderstandings or convenient plot devices. Lives are at stake, the world is at stake; these burdens create palpable tension and organic obstacles to the couple, and I can't thank Guanzon enough for taking things slow and refusing to throw the characters in bed together until they (and their complex circumstances) are ready. It's perfect. Lastly, it's rare that I read a book with prose so lovely, so poetic, that sometimes I go back and reread a page or a paragraph just to enjoy it again. Guanzon has the gift. She really does. It's one thing to have a great story idea, and quite another to tell it with humor, heart, and a powerful narrative voice that can be both stormcloud and song. ["

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January 3, 2025 Verified Purchase

D.A. Chan

The Hurricane Wars guarantees to set off a storm within her readers, one way or another.

"Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars guarantees to set off a storm within her readers, one way or another. This is a confused set of 3 stars as I am still vacillating between 3.0 to 3.5 NO SPOILERS review. First off, I came in knowing that this was based on some kind of fanfic about Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker. Still, that fact doesn’t change my rating of the book, and I’m not really a part of the Kylo-Rey fandom—which means I’m reviewing this book as someone who doesn’t have any assumptions about the characters. In other words, I read the book as a separate stand-alone story, as if the entire Star Wars universe doesn’t exist. ADDITIONALLY, I make reviews as objective as I can (I know how ironic that sounds), acknowledging the difference between a good, well-written story, and a preference or set of preferences which are usually more personal. I must say, the author’s writing style is one of the clear reasons why this is a best seller. Her vocabulary, phraseology, similes, metaphors, verbiage, and word choice are all top notch. This much is plain as day. However, when it comes to execution, I was truly bothered. There was no real character development for the main characters until about 50% of the book. Now, I understand that this is supposed to be the first of trilogy. Personally, I’m okay with the main characters not having any real or substantial character development or even much agency at the beginning of a saga or trilogy because it’s going to a be a long story overall—but if this is the case and the plan, then I believe authors should add side characters who immediately get the character development and agency treatment right away. That way, readers will have OTHER characters to keep them interested (or at least to hold the frustrations at bay and prevent them from DNF-ing the book). Then, as the author gives more and more char-dev and agency to the MCs as the saga unfolds, readers will slowly appreciate and even enjoy rooting for the MCs. In this book, however, there are no side characters who carry any real weight to the plot, and nobody else to cheer for except the two MCs who are quite flat for half of the book. Another thing that really bothered me was the pace of the story, and this really has to do with execution. There was just too much inner monologue and reflection in between lines of dialogue and action scenes. This may be a personal preference, but I suspect a lot of readers are bothered by this too. It looks a bit like this: [Line of dialogue] MC remembered this or that from her childhood. MC noticed this scent or that physical feature. MC thought of [simile] and [metaphor]. MC longed for this and that, desired this and that. MC felt this and that dilemma. MC thought of reacting this way or that way. MC recognizes this or that part of the plot. MC finally decides to do this or that. [Next line of dialogue] Now, I’m not even exaggerating when I say that the average is about half a paragraph of this and that between dialogue lines, and it’s even more distracting during battle scenes as it slows the pace down to a crawl. This frustrated me as battle scenes are supposed to be fast, filled with adrenaline, and punchy. And this habit of hers extends to every other scene. It’s one thing to show and not tell, and a totally different thing to over-show as it can very quickly feel like telling. Describing how a character dresses to give us an overall idea of what she’s like is great. But when every scene her wardrobe changes is described, complete with how this or that clothing reflects or mirrors or complements this or that venue or location or mood or emotion? A bit of an overkill in my opinion. Additionally, the effect of being overly descriptive makes its magic less powerful. When every single line or sentence is unique or majestically written, the lines and scenes that are meant to be more weighty or pivotal lose their impact. Also, still about dialogue, I would have preferred less snark, and more subtext. Some ways of how she described how the MCs felt were also unrealistic and unbelievable. This has to do with emotions and how people generally know how they are feeling towards others. Also, she uses the F-word which felt out of place to me. She created fantastical terms, labels, and words, but could not come up with a fantasy swear word? That was a missed opportunity for me. And the ending, at least to me, was unnecessary, overly gratuitous, anti-climactic, and all too abrupt and lacking denouement. Also, I was disappointed because she created these incredible creatures and magics and rules of how their magic works and politics and cultures and this entire world to explore, but then spent more time on what felt like a carnal teenage crush and expensive wardrobes. I know this sounds terrible, as if I hated the book. To be honest, it almost went into my DNF pile. So why did I continue reading? Three reasons. As an author myself, I deeply appreciated her word-weaving. Again, almost every sentence was majestically written in terms of verbiage, phraseology, and use of similes and metaphors. Secondly, she showcased several aspects of Philippine life: culture, values, ideals, food, and topography. That was truly refreshing. Third reason was she unleashed a tidal wave of character development the moment the reader hits 50% of the book. Yes, so much change in BOTH the MCs in such little time was difficult to believe, even if she wrote a ton of inner monologues and dilemmas to show their struggles. Still, the feeling of relief coming from getting all that char-dev after hungering for it for so long was a “hurrah” moment which got me to keep reading. And boy oh boy, I gotta say it again. Her author’s voice is is as unique as the world she had built in The Hurricane Wars. WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? (This goes back to my reviews, which I try to make as objective as possible.) First, not to anyone below 18. And if you prefer a more punchy, fast-paced, to-the-point written story from the get-go, this might not float your boat—or warship. But my answer would be a resounding yes if you’re the type who enjoys enemies-to-lovers, appreciates word-weaving, and if you have a thing for extremely specific descriptions of everything in the story. Did I personally enjoy this book? Let me put it this way. I almost put it down for good, but her author’s voice kept me going. Once I hit 50% of the book and completely dropped the notion that this was a fantasy story (I fully regarded it as romance, and acknowledged that all that fantasy stuff was just plot device to write romance), I could no longer put it down. ["

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September 3, 2024 Verified Purchase