Book Review: The Hurricane Wars
Ever since The Hurricane Wars was announced, it easily became one of my most anticipated fantasy reads. And this was before we even had a release date. As someone who was - and still is - a fan of author Thea Guanzon’s work in transformative fandom spaces, I was eager to see her style translated over to original fiction, and the end result did not disappoint.
The Hurricane Wars is set in a lush South East Asian-inspired world, where the titular conflict had caused more and more territories to fall under the dominion of the Night Empire, whose army is led by the Shadow magic-weilding Prince Alaric - a tall, dark-haired, broody sort, for those of us who are into that sort of thing. Standing against him is Talasyn, a solider fighting for freedom with the opposition, who possesses the ability to wield light magic, something Alaric has never seen before, something that was supposed to have been eradicated. Darkness rises and light to meet it indeed.
Despite taking its name from the major conflict that kicks off the story, The Hurricane Wars is actually not a fighting-and-wartime heavy book. Instead, the focus is given to the smaller - if no less chaotic - war fought between Alaric and Talasyn as the pair join forces to fight back against a much larger threat looming over them all, which threatens to destroy everything. It is much more a political story, filled with courtly intrigue and schemes as both sides of the tenuous partnership seek to outmaneuver the other - even as the two magic-weilders at the heart of it all start to think that maybe that feeling they get around the other isn’t 100% hate and animosity.
Because The Hurricane Wars is also very much a love story. Guanzon excels at writing a delicious slow-burn, drawing out simmering passion in small bursts without letting the dynamic between Alaric and Talasyn lose the tension too quickly. While not a strict “romance novel” per se - this is very much a fantasy-romance series, and the book ends on a cliffhanger - Guanzon pulls from the best elements of the genre, infusing her story with tropes that pull the budding romance into the forefront. Beyond the dynamic between her leads, Guanzon has constructed a complex, lush fantasy world surrounding them, with lyrical descriptions really immersing the reader in this new world.
The Hurricane Wars is a brilliant piece of fiction, drawing readers into a world so immersive, with characters that share a chemistry so electric, that the wait for the next book is already unbearably long.
The Hurricane Wars hits shelves October 3, 2023. Special thank you to Harper Voyager for the advance copy for review purposes.