The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
BLURB
The Night Empire will rule all. Nothing can stand in the way of its might and power. Little by little, year by year, the Hurricane Wars take more and more from those who resists the empire’s supremacy. And yet, there is hope in the darkness. One lone light stands against the empire.
Talasyn was left on the steps of a Sardovian orphanage as a baby. All she has ever known are the Hurricane Wars, as her people fight for freedom from the tyranny of the Night Emperor Gaheris. But are they her people? Talasyn dreams of one day finding where she comes from – her true place, family, and the source of the Lightweave magic that flows through her veins like sunlight.
Alaric of House Ossinast, Master of the Shadowforged Legion and Gaheris’s only son and heir has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating the Sardovian Allford alliance with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, all Alaric can see is their extinguish all threats to the empire. 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. He tries and fails to kill her, his now greatest enemy slipping through his fingers. But a greater threat is coming. One that will overshadow the Hurricane Wars. Will these mortal enemies be able to come together to confront it or is everything that has been fought over for so long about to be destroyed?
Talasyn was left on the steps of a Sardovian orphanage as a baby. All she has ever known are the Hurricane Wars, as her people fight for freedom from the tyranny of the Night Emperor Gaheris. But are they her people? Talasyn dreams of one day finding where she comes from – her true place, family, and the source of the Lightweave magic that flows through her veins like sunlight.
Alaric of House Ossinast, Master of the Shadowforged Legion and Gaheris’s only son and heir has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating the Sardovian Allford alliance with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, all Alaric can see is their extinguish all threats to the empire. 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. He tries and fails to kill her, his now greatest enemy slipping through his fingers. But a greater threat is coming. One that will overshadow the Hurricane Wars. Will these mortal enemies be able to come together to confront it or is everything that has been fought over for so long about to be destroyed?
REVIEW
I've found a new obsession ladies and gentlemen. This was right up my street! Such a wonderful collection of all my favourite tropes in one book!
As you might have seen, this book had its beginnings in Reylo fanfiction which is just...say no more! Sign me up!
And please don't let the word fanfiction worry you about the writing quality because it was absolutely excellent.
In case you're currently scrolling Goodreads because you're struggling in the first quarter with the worldbuilding and specifically the names of places and characters, you're not alone! It almost requires a notebook by your side as you read. But honestly, if we can all figure out the names of the dragons in that other book that shall not be named, we can figure this out too. And the payoff is 10000000% WORTH IT!!
Okay, so what can you expect from this book? An amazing slow-burn romance brimming with genuine conflict set in a fantastically original world full of magic, dragons, airships and political intrigue.
And tension. By crikey the tension!
What I loved:
Both the FMC, Talasyn, and the MMC Alaric, were real and fully fleshed-out characters. They just unfortunately are on completely opposite sides of a decade-long war. It was fascinating to watch the slow build of their relationship, complete with emerging feelings that cause guilt and confusion. It was very much one step forward, two steps back which I thought was very realistic. A lot of the time with the enemies-to-lovers trope as soon as they start to fancy each other all previous animosity is forgotten. That's not the case here. There's too much to forgive and they both think their side was the "right" side. I can't wait to read more in this series (a trilogy, if I'm not mistaken) because I do believe one side in particular has been lied to about the justifications for the war and if I'm right that realisation will be...bad.
I also really enjoyed exploring themes of family and wanting to belong. Both the MMC and FMC have childhoods where they've felt alone and unloved. It might have been under different circumstances but the mirroring of their pain was undeniable and it was great to watch them realise the similarities.
As I mentioned up top, the writing in this was fantastic but unlike other books I've read recently (like A Study in Drowning zzz) it wasn't pretty writing at the expense of a good plot and characterisation. I especially enjoyed the flow from one POV to another. It was so seamless rather than a more choppy chapter-by-chapter format and I thought it was great.
Honestly, this had it all. As you can see from my rating I have no real complaints except how hard the names were to remember. I guess I'll just have to read it a few more times until they sink in. 🤪
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but it did leave me wishing I had the next book because I just wasn't ready to leave yet. I can't wait for more to come from this series. Literally SO excited.
Advanced Reader Copy provided in exchange for my honest review.
5 stars ★★★★★
5 stars ★★★★★
