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A review by judyc_elementz_mj
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It took me forever to get through this one. I thought it would never end … having said that, I am going to be continuing on to the next book. I gave this a solid 2.5, but didn't care to raise it to a 3 on Goodreads!
Let me start by saying this … I have no reference points with which to feel anything about this story and it’s supposed to be fanfiction based. I have never seen, nor know, anything about the last iteration of Star Wars. I don’t know the characters, therefore, when people mention that this refers to that, I can’t make any correlation between the two. To me, that means very little. So my viewpoint for this read is from someone going into a fresh story with fresh characters.
So here’s where my problems lie. I felt the entire book strained to accomplish what it set out to do; it never quite made it. The characters were never really likeable. The locations and world-building were impossible to visualize. Even the ships, fighting and aftermath were difficult to picture. This to me comes down to the author’s inability to really provide cohesive descriptions.
Now I realize this is a debut author. However, this was traditionally published. Where the hell were her editors? Sunbathing in Costa Rica, maybe? I’m completely serious. As a self-published author myself, I depend so heavily on the expertise of my editors. I would never publish a book without them and the never-ending corrections I know they will come back with, most of which help me visualize and make sure my story is not only easy to follow but also provides a clear picture of the story I’m trying to tell. This book seriously lacked in that area.
And there were so many made-up terms for EVERYTHING that it just seemed like a hodgepodge when it all came together. Who they were, where they came from, their ships, their magic … and so on and so on. Honestly, if there hadn’t been the map at the front of the print book with the magics and dominions written down the side, I’d have been 100% completely lost. So that did help, a bit.
Now having said all of that, the book did have its moments and I did enjoy some of it. At times it just felt like it was moving SO SLOW. So that’s why it sat right in the middle of the road for me. Enough to say that I’ll carry on, but let me tell you if the second book is just as badly written, I will 100% be DNFing it. I had actually done a soft DNF on this one in February at the beginning of Chapter 6, but figured I’d go back to it in April. I almost didn’t finish it. I’m glad I did because I liked the last half of the book better than the beginning, but lordy it was a slow go.
aps I’ll give it another go at a later date.
Let me start by saying this … I have no reference points with which to feel anything about this story and it’s supposed to be fanfiction based. I have never seen, nor know, anything about the last iteration of Star Wars. I don’t know the characters, therefore, when people mention that this refers to that, I can’t make any correlation between the two. To me, that means very little. So my viewpoint for this read is from someone going into a fresh story with fresh characters.
So here’s where my problems lie. I felt the entire book strained to accomplish what it set out to do; it never quite made it. The characters were never really likeable. The locations and world-building were impossible to visualize. Even the ships, fighting and aftermath were difficult to picture. This to me comes down to the author’s inability to really provide cohesive descriptions.
Now I realize this is a debut author. However, this was traditionally published. Where the hell were her editors? Sunbathing in Costa Rica, maybe? I’m completely serious. As a self-published author myself, I depend so heavily on the expertise of my editors. I would never publish a book without them and the never-ending corrections I know they will come back with, most of which help me visualize and make sure my story is not only easy to follow but also provides a clear picture of the story I’m trying to tell. This book seriously lacked in that area.
And there were so many made-up terms for EVERYTHING that it just seemed like a hodgepodge when it all came together. Who they were, where they came from, their ships, their magic … and so on and so on. Honestly, if there hadn’t been the map at the front of the print book with the magics and dominions written down the side, I’d have been 100% completely lost. So that did help, a bit.
Now having said all of that, the book did have its moments and I did enjoy some of it. At times it just felt like it was moving SO SLOW. So that’s why it sat right in the middle of the road for me. Enough to say that I’ll carry on, but let me tell you if the second book is just as badly written, I will 100% be DNFing it. I had actually done a soft DNF on this one in February at the beginning of Chapter 6, but figured I’d go back to it in April. I almost didn’t finish it. I’m glad I did because I liked the last half of the book better than the beginning, but lordy it was a slow go.
aps I’ll give it another go at a later date.