The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a Philippine-inspired adult fantasy. A newsletter I subscribe to also mentioned it started as a Kylo Ren/Rey fan fiction that the author adapted into a unique world of her own. It's arguably romantasy, but with a very low spice level.

I thought the world and magic system in this book were unique and really interesting. Despite the world being large and politically complicated, I never got lost. I understood the character motivations for the most part, and was really rooting for Talasyn to succeed. Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Despite being a cool magic system, I needed more about how it worked. It felt a little too limitless. I also didn't understand the romance at all. Sure Alaric is hot but he's a mass murderer. And not just a solider; he's been in charge and only gains more power as the book goes on. Not hot. Sorry not sorry.

This book is for you if you like the Kylo Ren/Rey dynamic from Star Wars, if you're looking for Filipino or south-east Asian fantasy, or if you want a low-spice romantasy ("Shadow Daddy" included). It's not for you if you want a less war-crime-encumbered male lead, if you didn't enjoy the Kylo Ren/Rey dynamic, or if you are looking for a high spice book. 


Have you read The Hurricane Wars? What did you think of Alaric? Let's discuss in the comments.

Not in Love is Ali Hazelwood's latest STEM romance. Other books in her universe are The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, and Love, Theoretically. She has a few other books and short stories out as well. I've enjoyed her other work, so I was excited for Not in Love. 

Not in Love focuses on Rue Siebert, a chemical engineer in a start up company that gets their loan bought out by sharky investors at a company called Harkness. Eli Killgore is one of Harkness's founders and is on a mission to get a patent from Rue's company. However, a chance meeting and a lot of chemistry lead to Eli and Rue being more focused on each other than patents and plots. But when it comes down to it, Rue must decide who to trust and what she wants most.

I liked the set up because I also have worked at a science startup that got bought out, so it felt like a familiar situation. I liked Rue's sass, although she was only sassy in Eli's POV, not really in her own. 

Not in Love is unlike Hazelwood's other books in that it is way spicier. A note at the front even clarifies it's erotica, which I didn't realize until after I bought it. I got way more heat than I bargained for. Whoops! Consequently, there was a lot less plot than I'd bargained for to make space for all the spicy scenes.

This book is for you if you want erotica and high heat romance or if you enjoy Ali Hazelwood's other STEM romance books. This book is not for you if you're not looking for erotica, if you'll be listening to the audiobook or reading in a public place, or if you are reading this for the subplot about the legal nitty gritty surrounding the patent--you'll get no answers. 


Have you read Not in Love? What about Hazelwood's other books? Let's discuss in the comments, but keep it PG-13.

Crescent City is the third series from the best selling author Sarah J. Maas. As of this blog post there are three books in the series, House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, and House of Flame and Shadow. No more books in this series have been announced. 

What is the series about? (SPOILER FREE)
The series follows Bryce Quinlan, a half-human, half-Fae citizen of Crescent City in the world called Midgard. They have the internet and smart phones and all that jazz, but it's powered by a type of magic called firstlight. Bryce comes off as a party girl as does her best friend and heir to the wolf-shifter throne, Danika. But when Danika is murdered, Bryce falls apart. She must piece together the last days of her bff's life to solve the mystery of who killed her and why, and in the process learns far more than she bargained for. She's also partnered up with over-powered angel/slave Hunt Athalar. Their choices together have the chance to change the world as they know it.

Does it live up to the hype?
I knew very little about this series going in except that the first 100 pages were famously confusing and that book 2 ended with a major cliffhanger that had everyone buying book 3 as soon as it came out. 
It lived up to the first 100 pages being confusing. Knowing nothing would be explained, I rode it out and waited. There was a lot of info dumping in a short period of time and then other things mentioned and never explained.
It also lived up to book 2 ending with a cliffhanger. I could see why people flocked to book 3. And yet, I realized no one I knew had discussed book 3 much. After finishing it, I understand why. It was not my favorite.
These books were fine, don't get me wrong, but there were subplots and characters that seemed slapped in there for length and had very little impact on the main storyline. Be aware this series also has much less smut than ACOTAR, but more than Throne of Glass. 

So does it live up to the hype? It was a fine read, but it wasn't one I'll be re-reading and if there's a fourth book, I might not buy it immediately. 


This series is for you if you like contemporary fantasy but want a secondary world, if you like multiverse/connected universe concepts, and if you love the SJM style of leading ladies who have secret plans all along. It's not for you if you love mysteries because you enjoy solving them, if you're looking for sword and sorcery fantasy, or if you are looking for quick reads (each is over 800 pages.)


Have you read Crescent City? Which series from Sarah J. Maas is your favorite? Let's discuss in the comments!