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ayeitsdaye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It took longer than I expected to get into this story, considering I came into it knowing it’s a reylo fic. The author’s rich vocabulary bordered on purple prose at times, but overall added depth.
My biggest complaint would be that Talasyn and Alaric’s POVs, while executed in a way that disrupted continuity the least, I felt like the depth on each side was out of sync? Overall it was worth a read, and I’ll be looking out for the sequel!
My biggest complaint would be that Talasyn and Alaric’s POVs, while executed in a way that disrupted continuity the least, I felt like the depth on each side was out of sync? Overall it was worth a read, and I’ll be looking out for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, War, and Colonisation
Minor: Pregnancy, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
eeyores_flowers's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, War, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Gaslighting
roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a solid read for me and I really enjoyed it overall. I wasn't sure going in how much Guanzon's fanfic might play into it and having never read it can say that other than some of the character descriptions and descriptions of the magic system at times I would not have realized that it originated from that.
What I liked: the ambition of the plot. There was a lot happening but it felt cohesive and like it was progressing in a way that made sense. The political aspects were more enjoyable than I would have expected. The tension between Talasyn and Alaric was very well written also. Early in the book I was looking forward to scenes where they interacted. I also really liked listening to this on audiobook. I read some of it in book format but the writing and dialogue really lend themselves well to an audio format.
What I didn't like: sometimes the angst and arguments between Talasyn and Alaric were a little too much for me. And maybe this was because I wasn't quite in the mood to read about that type of relationship.Also, the earlier parts of the book during the war felt very abrupt and didn't allow us to develop much connection to the events and the side characters. However, none of this detracted enough from the book to be a big issue enough.
Overall this was an entertaining read and I will be continuing the series with the next book.
What I liked: the ambition of the plot. There was a lot happening but it felt cohesive and like it was progressing in a way that made sense. The political aspects were more enjoyable than I would have expected. The tension between Talasyn and Alaric was very well written also. Early in the book I was looking forward to scenes where they interacted. I also really liked listening to this on audiobook. I read some of it in book format but the writing and dialogue really lend themselves well to an audio format.
What I didn't like: sometimes the angst and arguments between Talasyn and Alaric were a little too much for me. And maybe this was because I wasn't quite in the mood to read about that type of relationship.
Overall this was an entertaining read and I will be continuing the series with the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Emotional abuse
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I was curious about this book. Firstly, because of the cover and the storm respectively the Hurricane it promised in the title. Secondly, because of the mixed reviews this book had gotten even before it was published and I was wondering where my own reading tastes would land.
Interestingly enough, I loved & still love this book a couple of months after I read it and am excited to see how the story ends in its sequel.
The Hurricane Wars does have excitement in it, a lot of tragic & wars & unanswered questions and magic is stirring, even though yet not fully revealed.
At the beginning we find ourselves in a war setting that then changes to the machinations of a highly evolved & politically divided court and in which the female main character has got to find her way as well as figuring out her feelings for this prince of the Night Empire whom she first met on the battle fields and now has to deal with in the political machinations of their nations fighting for prevalence and/or survival over each other.
The world is richly built, and specially, in the second part we start to see more parts of this world that is amazingly rich & diverse.
And now I cannot really wait until the second book is out, because I simply would like to know how it all ends and how this new threat that arose is being met, and, of course, will they or won't they & will there be a happy ever after?
Interestingly enough, I loved & still love this book a couple of months after I read it and am excited to see how the story ends in its sequel.
The Hurricane Wars does have excitement in it, a lot of tragic & wars & unanswered questions and magic is stirring, even though yet not fully revealed.
At the beginning we find ourselves in a war setting that then changes to the machinations of a highly evolved & politically divided court and in which the female main character has got to find her way as well as figuring out her feelings for this prince of the Night Empire whom she first met on the battle fields and now has to deal with in the political machinations of their nations fighting for prevalence and/or survival over each other.
The world is richly built, and specially, in the second part we start to see more parts of this world that is amazingly rich & diverse.
And now I cannot really wait until the second book is out, because I simply would like to know how it all ends and how this new threat that arose is being met, and, of course, will they or won't they & will there be a happy ever after?
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Gore, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn't know going into this that it was a Reylo fanfic with the serial numbers filed off, but I figured it out about 50 pages in. There were a few issues I think were caused in part by it originally being a fanfic. First, the characters were underdeveloped in the beginning, and I didn't quite buy that they were really enemies. They were truly enemies because they were on opposite sides of a war, but I would have liked for there to be a more personal element to it. Maybe one or both of them could have personally killed someone the other one loved or he could have been responsible for destroying her village, or something like that. In a fanfiction, we have this backstory already because it's in the source material, but since these are new characters, we don't know what they've done to really cause them to hate each other.
The magic system also wasn't very well developed. The shadow magic and the light magic didn't do anything different from each other. They both just formed weapons that did the same things but in different colors. I chalk this up to this being adapted from Star Wars fanfiction where the characters originally probably used the same source of power (the Force) and the same type of weapon (lightsabers).
The pacing was off. It took almost 200 pages for the main characters to actually have a conversation and interact beyond a few fight scenes. It was so weird to have a romance book where the couple hardly interacts for the first half of the book. Once the romance got started, I did enjoy how it developed. I was put off a bit by the insta-lust. The characters would be in the middle of trying to kill each other and then they'd be thinking about how the other one's eyes are so beautiful. Despite the insta-lust, I'd say the romance itself is a slow burn. They started getting to some good character development towards the end as they began to really explore the differences in their ideologies and the conflict that causes in their relationship.
Overall, I enjoyed this well enough, and it definitely picked up towards the end. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series as I'm not super invested in the plot or characters though.
The magic system also wasn't very well developed. The shadow magic and the light magic didn't do anything different from each other. They both just formed weapons that did the same things but in different colors. I chalk this up to this being adapted from Star Wars fanfiction where the characters originally probably used the same source of power (the Force) and the same type of weapon (lightsabers).
The pacing was off. It took almost 200 pages for the main characters to actually have a conversation and interact beyond a few fight scenes. It was so weird to have a romance book where the couple hardly interacts for the first half of the book. Once the romance got started, I did enjoy how it developed. I was put off a bit by the insta-lust. The characters would be in the middle of trying to kill each other and then they'd be thinking about how the other one's eyes are so beautiful. Despite the insta-lust, I'd say the romance itself is a slow burn. They started getting to some good character development towards the end as they began to really explore the differences in their ideologies and the conflict that causes in their relationship.
Overall, I enjoyed this well enough, and it definitely picked up towards the end. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series as I'm not super invested in the plot or characters though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, War, Abandonment, Death, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Grief, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse
sfdogmom's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Good! One 🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual content
shellbow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I think the people this book was written for will love it. But if you aren't emphatically in that category, it will likely fall flat.
I'm a fan of Reylo, the fandom that this originally pertained to, and in it I can see the classic tropes: fated equals, enemies to lovers, "you're not alone". But taken within only the context of itself, the Hurricane Wars was more of a meandering series of events than anything else. The writing was prone to sentences that lasted paragraphs, and I found myself desperate for a period. The cycle of romantic tension and then bitter enmity between the main characters became repetitive and a bit boring. And out of the many dramatic points set up, only one comes to fruition, leaving me confused what the rest of the book would be about even when I was on the last twenty pages.
Overall, if you're a fan of Reylo, or an avid fanfiction reader, it will be an easy, breezy read. But if you are neither of those things, I would look for something with more substance.
I'm a fan of Reylo, the fandom that this originally pertained to, and in it I can see the classic tropes: fated equals, enemies to lovers, "you're not alone". But taken within only the context of itself, the Hurricane Wars was more of a meandering series of events than anything else. The writing was prone to sentences that lasted paragraphs, and I found myself desperate for a period. The cycle of romantic tension and then bitter enmity between the main characters became repetitive and a bit boring. And out of the many dramatic points set up, only one comes to fruition, leaving me confused what the rest of the book would be about even when I was on the last twenty pages.
Overall, if you're a fan of Reylo, or an avid fanfiction reader, it will be an easy, breezy read. But if you are neither of those things, I would look for something with more substance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Abandonment, and Colonisation
kittkat's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Okay, ich hatte sooo viel Spaß mit diesem gefühlt eeeewig langem Buch. Mir ist erst beim Lesen klargeworden, wie sehr ich Romantasy vermisst habe und dass das eigentlich mit der Edelstein-Trilogie genau das Genre war, was mich damals überhaupt so ins Lesen gestürzt hat.
Talasyn ist unter anderem ein Lightweaver und in dieser Welt gibt es verschiedene Arten von anderen „Magiern“, die zum Großteil auf dem Continent leben. Hier brach vor Jahren ein Krieg zwischen den Lightweavern und den Shadowforged aus, was zur Ausrottung aller Lightweaver geführt hat. Nichtsdestotrotz eskaliert der Krieg immer weiter und die Shadowforged wollen den ganzen Continent erobern.
Nuuuun der Shadow Prince Alaric [Vampire Diaries flashbacks] kämpft natürlich an vorderster Front und clashed dabei auf Talasyn, die eigentlich nur undercover Lightweaver ist und sich im Kampf aber exposed…. Später finden wir aber heraus, dass eine noch viel größere Katastrophe naht und dafür werden die beiden widerwillig zusammen arbeiten müssen oder zumindest so tun als ob 🫣…
WORLDBUILDING
Talasyn ist unter anderem ein Lightweaver und in dieser Welt gibt es verschiedene Arten von anderen „Magiern“, die zum Großteil auf dem Continent leben. Hier brach vor Jahren ein Krieg zwischen den Lightweavern und den Shadowforged aus, was zur Ausrottung aller Lightweaver geführt hat. Nichtsdestotrotz eskaliert der Krieg immer weiter und die Shadowforged wollen den ganzen Continent erobern.
Nuuuun der Shadow Prince Alaric [Vampire Diaries flashbacks] kämpft natürlich an vorderster Front und clashed dabei auf Talasyn, die eigentlich nur undercover Lightweaver ist und sich im Kampf aber exposed…. Später finden wir aber heraus, dass eine noch viel größere Katastrophe naht und dafür werden die beiden widerwillig zusammen arbeiten müssen oder zumindest so tun als ob 🫣…
WORLDBUILDING
- sehr viel los und ultra-komplex!!
- man muss sich durch die ersten 100 Seiten durchkämpfen, danach wird‘s verständlicher
- sehr abstrakt, oft hatte ich nur eine schwammige Vorstellung von dem Ganzen (und ich glaube, es lag nicht an mir)
PROTAGONISTEN
- einzeln waren sie okay.
- ich mochte sie am meisten, wenn sie gut miteinander auskamen - Alaric ist schon ein kleiner acts of service cutie UND tsundere dazu 🤭🫶
- die beiden waren sich sehr ähnlich: hitzköpfig, stur, verzweifelt, traumatisiert
- ich fand es nervig, aber glaubwürdig und realistisch, dass sie sich immer wieder erinnert haben, warum sie sich eigentlich hassen (endlich mal ein echter, legitimer Grund - 🌈völkermord🌈)
SCHREIBSTIL
- zu 89% war ich TOTAL mit dabei, man konnte wirklich supergut in die Welt eintauchen ++
- persöhnlicher er/sie-erzähler war gut geschrieben und auch interessant, weil die meisten Romane mittlerweile aus der ich-Perspektive erzählt werden
- wechselnde Perspektiven zwischen Talasyn und Alaric fand ich richtig und wichtig!!
- ich werde sterben, wenn ich JEMALS AUF DIESER ERDE NOCHMAL SO👇 EINEN CRINGE LESEN MUSS (UND DAS AUCH NOCH IN DER BAHN!!!):
⚠️ Anklicken auf eigene Gefahr ⚠️
„You‘re soaked, beautiful girl,“ he groaned into her mouth. „My wet little wife“ naauuurrrr 😭😭😭 (es war aber eigentlich voll random nach 400 Seiten, davor hat NIEMAND so geredet/ gedacht/ gelebt?!?!?)
Sonst habe ich‘s schamlos einfach geliebt und ich werde die Fortsetzung auf jeden Fall lesen 🤭!
(Übrigens zur Reylo-Fanfiction: Sie waren doch nicht Cousins, wie ich dachte, sondern TANTE UND NEFFE 🤡)
Sonst habe ich‘s schamlos einfach geliebt und ich werde die Fortsetzung auf jeden Fall lesen 🤭!
(Übrigens zur Reylo-Fanfiction: Sie waren doch nicht Cousins, wie ich dachte, sondern TANTE UND NEFFE 🤡)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Death, and War
Minor: Death of parent
kriti's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Abandonment, Colonisation, Genocide, Violence, and Pregnancy
steffysev's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I don’t know if maybe the narrator of the audiobook version I listened to contributed to this, but I felt like it was a chore to get through. I read the OG fic which I really enjoyed, but I wish Guanzon made this more original and not so copy paste. The world building was also kind of confusing and very info-dumpy (at least listening to it was) and I just kept zoning out quite often. I think Thea Guanzon is a great writer and I’d love to see more original stories from her, I’m always going to keep a look out for her work!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation