Book Review: The Hurricane Wars

I heard so many great things about The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon last year when it came out and from bookstagrammers who read ARCs of it that when I saw the Waterstones exclusive edition with the gorgeous painted edges I had to pre-order from there. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a few months now and I finally read it this week.

This is the first book in an ongoing series (book 2 comes out this fall and I’m not sure how many books are planned) and I really enjoyed the storyline and intricate world building.

The novel follows Talasyn, a young woman and fighter for a kingdom called Sardovia. Orphaned as a baby, she has only ever known Sardovia and has fought for them against the Night Empire. The two kingdoms have been at war for years and the Night Emperor has been trying to defeat and take them over for years as well as killing all lightweavers. Talasyn fights to protect the only home she’s known and she also has a secret – she has light magic.

During a battle, she fights against the Night Emperor’s son, Alaric, who has shadow magic. When their magic hits each other something happens. Their powers merge and create a force that’s never been seen before. Now a bigger threat may be approaching and the two of them may need to work together to combine their magic to stand a chance at survival.

This book was really interesting and I loved the world building and magic system. It was a big info dump for the first 100 pages or so though that I was able to keep track of, but only if I paid very close attention so I would say if you’re a new fantasy reader it may be a little difficult to follow. I liked Talasyn and Alaric but sometimes they really frustrated me! This is a very slow burn, and I love a good slow burn but it seemed like the two of them just got in their own way all the time! I’m hoping that they can really get together and work together and trust each other in book 2!

Overall, I did really enjoy the book, storyline, and characters!

Read this if you want a slow burn fantasy romance with the enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience tropes. There is a little bit of spice towards the end so I’d say it’s more steamy than spicy!

*This post contains affiliate links.*