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alesseia 's review for:
The Hurricane Wars
by Thea Guanzon
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very excited to read the Hurricane Wars because it was the very first book I've ever seen that uses a completely original world inspired by Filipino culture. It would be presumptuous to say that it's the first book like this—I wouldn't be surprised if more exists and I just haven't discovered them—but I was grateful enough to see one at all, hence me buying it immediately when I discovered it.
But as I read the book, I felt increasingly frustrated with how the terms and names for certain things in Filipino culture are simply not used. Although Filipino-sounding names are used for titles of people (e.g. their title for a ruler is Harlikaan, presumably derived from the Filipino warrior term "maharlika"), things such as carabao and durian (which is actually a South East Asian term in general) are referred to as sun buffaloes and thornfruit. Despite being amused by the substitutions at first, it overwhelmingly grows more frustrating to read as a Filipino reader. Like, taho isn't even pudding. Don't call it that.
I do understand that this was an original fantasy world that wouldn't necessarily come up with the same words in whatever conlang they speak (the Filipino-inspired country is called Nenavar despite the letter V not existing in native Filipino phonology) and also that it's likely marketed towards people who are unfamiliar with our culture, but it still feels like they're forgoing cultural respect and accuracy. Almost as if our culture must be made palatable for the white people.
It's particularly strange to me because the book introduces so many made-up terms, as typical of a fantasy world, but then it can't bother to use a native term so that the reader can google what the characters are eating to learn more? The discrepancy became particularly obvious when it directly uses the word "lingerie." A term originating in France and only started being used in English about a century ago can appear in this seemingly precolonial-based setting without a problem, but carabao can't?
I suppose I would say that this is not meant for someone who enjoys learning about other cultures. In the end, it is primarily a character-driven book with its main romance as its draw. The plot is somewhat important, yes, but it's not the point of the book at all. In fact, it's so very much not the point of the book thatnone of the problems it shows gets resolved here. I know that it's meant to be the first book in a trilogy, but it focuses so much on the interaction between the two main protagonists that not much action happens. There are major plot beats but they're written so slowly that it becomes oddly paced since there's no resolution within the book itself. It feels like it is a very long prologue or introduction to greater things happening later, but I'm not sure if I'm going to find out if I appreciate the future resolutions, because I don't know if I'll buy the future books.
But as I read the book, I felt increasingly frustrated with how the terms and names for certain things in Filipino culture are simply not used. Although Filipino-sounding names are used for titles of people (e.g. their title for a ruler is Harlikaan, presumably derived from the Filipino warrior term "maharlika"), things such as carabao and durian (which is actually a South East Asian term in general) are referred to as sun buffaloes and thornfruit. Despite being amused by the substitutions at first, it overwhelmingly grows more frustrating to read as a Filipino reader. Like, taho isn't even pudding. Don't call it that.
I do understand that this was an original fantasy world that wouldn't necessarily come up with the same words in whatever conlang they speak (the Filipino-inspired country is called Nenavar despite the letter V not existing in native Filipino phonology) and also that it's likely marketed towards people who are unfamiliar with our culture, but it still feels like they're forgoing cultural respect and accuracy. Almost as if our culture must be made palatable for the white people.
It's particularly strange to me because the book introduces so many made-up terms, as typical of a fantasy world, but then it can't bother to use a native term so that the reader can google what the characters are eating to learn more? The discrepancy became particularly obvious when it directly uses the word "lingerie." A term originating in France and only started being used in English about a century ago can appear in this seemingly precolonial-based setting without a problem, but carabao can't?
I suppose I would say that this is not meant for someone who enjoys learning about other cultures. In the end, it is primarily a character-driven book with its main romance as its draw. The plot is somewhat important, yes, but it's not the point of the book at all. In fact, it's so very much not the point of the book that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War