Book Review: The Hurricane Wars

Some versions of the cover have the purple and gold inverted compared to this one. Both versions are gorgeous!

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.