The Hurricane Wars

A Novel

By: Thea Guanzon

Narrated by: Jeanne Syquia

Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"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 Fallen

"I physically could not stop reading! Mark my words: lives will be changed by The Hurricane Wars.” — ALI HAZELWOOD, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

The fates of two bitter enemies with opposing magical abilities are swept together in The Hurricane Wars, the spellbinding debut in a fantasy romance trilogy set in a Southeast Asia–inspired world ravaged by storms, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses

The heart is a battlefield.

All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, she 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 tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire’s rule with the strength of his armies and mighty shadow magic. He discovers the greatest threat yet in Talasyn: a girl burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. He tries to kill her, but in a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.

This war can only end with them. But an even greater danger is coming, and 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?

An exquisite fantasy brimming with unforgettable characters and sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance set in a richly drawn world, The Hurricane Wars marks the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new writer.

“The Hurricane Wars is everything I love—intricate world-building, unique magic, and a gleeful, smoldering romance. I’m obsessed.”— HANNAH WHITTEN, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

“This book made me giddy! Such a gleeful collection of my favorite tropes, all written in a fresh and engaging world, with a deep emotional center. One of my favorite books of this year!” — KATEE ROBERT, New York Times bestselling author of the Dark Olympus series

©2023 Thea Guanzon (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

It was fine

Everything was just okay imo. Sometimes the author would describe the setting in both peoples POV and it kinda felt repetitive. The story is relatively interesting but somewhat predictable, which isn’t too much of an issue. I’ll probably check out the next book when it comes out.

Loses momentum les than halfway through

I’m clearly not the target audience for this book—even though I thought I would be. But, this started its life as Reylo fanfic and I’m just not a huge fan of the dynamic. Stops being about the fantasy war and starts being just about interpersonal conflicts about 12 chapters in and I was expecting more external conflict. Not the worst book I’ve ever read, it’s not even actually bad. It’s just not for me.

DNF...

I really tried to push through the beginning of this story but I couldn't make it past chapter seven. I could not connect with any of the characters which is a shame. The cover art is beautiful and the blurb intrigued me (even knowing it was rooted in Reylo fanfic), so I was excited to listen. I don't know what it is, it could be the writing or the melodramatic performance of the narrator, but I found each chapter too stomach churning to manage.

Maybe I'll pick up a physical copy of the book and try again sometime later. For now, I'll leave it where it's at.

Incredible new fantasy

I had such high hopes for this book based on all the promo material and hype and it lived up to all of it. It takes place in such a lush, well-developed fantasy world that I know I’m going to be dreaming about it for weeks. The writing is gorgeous, so rich and evocative. Thea has an incredible gift for bringing emotion to life with her words, and it really highlights the depths of her amazing characters. I love the main couple so much, and I am going to be thinking about them every day until the next book. Absolutely obsessed with this. It’s all the best of romance, fantasy, enemies to lovers (slow burn book 1 version), wrapped in a beautiful package. Highly recommend, and the narrator does a fantastic job as well. No complaints at all, I was totally immersed in this.

Pretty good

It's a good book, definitely will read the next one, but I don't think I will recommend it quite yet. Hard to get into at first, then once you are engaged with the characters and the story it just becomes a bit frustrating. The characters keep having the same fight the whole book, it just starts to feel like come on guys! I was still entertained and will look forward to the next book though.

Tormented forbidden love

The longing on both sides is so good 🖤 the magic system is interesting. Started kind of slow for me in the sense I could really get my bearings. However, 25% in I was hooked. Alaric is soooo dreamy in a brooding tortured never known love kind of way🖤 can’t wait for the next book!

Wonderful world building

This book was a recommendation from Audible in the “selected for you” section… and this was perfect for my taste! I cannot wait for the sequel that is surely coming!!

Wonderful!

This book was so good. I loved both main characters, both apart and together. I cannot wait for the next book to come out. The writing was fabulous and the narration was lovely. 5 stars!

It’s fine but…

It was slow to start and the characters were unlikeable. I kept hoping they would have some redeeming qualities or a good love story, but I was very disappointed. This book was compared to ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, and I don’t see that at all. I think I would have been less disappointed if it didn’t claim to live up to those books.

DNF too predictable.

I could not finish this book. It is well written. Hurricane Wars has all the dragons, romance, war, and so forth that a reader's heart could desire. I am just not a reader for this genre.
Despite being clever and well-plotted, Hurricane Wars is predictable. I could not get into it and quickly lost interest.
If you loved The Fourth Wing (which I did not), you'd devour The Hurricane Wars.