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ee1000 's review for:
A Monsoon Rising
by Thea Guanzon
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read A Monsoon Rising back to back with The Hurricane Wars, so the story is fresh in my head. It’s a worthy sequel and I really enjoyed it. The banter and tension is still on point! It does take some of the weaker aspects of the first novel and improves them, but people who read the first book a couple years ago might need a quick refresher first!
The star of this book is the relationship and banter between Talasyn and Alaric. Like the first book, this one is built on their relationship and distrust of one another. Now that they’re married through, that tension reaches a whole new level between the two. This book is a masterclass in slow burn tension and masterfully toes the line of tension with reason. Honestly one of the best done books where the characters have a legitimate reason to be in love but also not be together.
The first book was incredibly dense for the first little bit, and this book does resolve that. We get right into the plot and banter of the book right away, but I could have used a brief reintroduction to characters to remember who everyone is.
The plot and major side characters also have improved greatly in this book. Talasyn’s father and Alaric’s best friend get some additional scenes and fun lines in this book which was a nice change from the first book. The plot also has a bit more teeth behind it as some of the world building and lore expand. However, this book like the first one does primarily have a plot that leads up to One Big Thing. So keep that in mind, you’re here for the characters, tension, and banter first!
Where I wished for more was further fleshing out the other characters. I wanted to remember the side characters more but since they weren’t in the book too much I forgot who some of them were. There’s a couple scenes with our extended cast outside of the immediate friends, but some additional sprinkling of the other characters earlier in the book will really help this book close with a bang. (Trying to be vague to be spoiler free!)
If you liked the banter in the first book, you’ll love this one, if you liked the relationships in the first book then you’ll LOVE this sequel. Looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Thea Guanzon for an ARC in exchange for my review!
The star of this book is the relationship and banter between Talasyn and Alaric. Like the first book, this one is built on their relationship and distrust of one another. Now that they’re married through, that tension reaches a whole new level between the two. This book is a masterclass in slow burn tension and masterfully toes the line of tension with reason. Honestly one of the best done books where the characters have a legitimate reason to be in love but also not be together.
The first book was incredibly dense for the first little bit, and this book does resolve that. We get right into the plot and banter of the book right away, but I could have used a brief reintroduction to characters to remember who everyone is.
The plot and major side characters also have improved greatly in this book. Talasyn’s father and Alaric’s best friend get some additional scenes and fun lines in this book which was a nice change from the first book. The plot also has a bit more teeth behind it as some of the world building and lore expand. However, this book like the first one does primarily have a plot that leads up to One Big Thing. So keep that in mind, you’re here for the characters, tension, and banter first!
Where I wished for more was further fleshing out the other characters. I wanted to remember the side characters more but since they weren’t in the book too much I forgot who some of them were. There’s a couple scenes with our extended cast outside of the immediate friends, but some additional sprinkling of the other characters earlier in the book will really help this book close with a bang. (Trying to be vague to be spoiler free!)
If you liked the banter in the first book, you’ll love this one, if you liked the relationships in the first book then you’ll LOVE this sequel. Looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Thea Guanzon for an ARC in exchange for my review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Torture, Grief, Gaslighting