A review by zluvsreading
A Monsoon Rising: A Novel by Thea Guanzon

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

Hey Thea! I have words for you about this ending!!!

Truly another spectacular hit from Thea and I enjoyed every second of it. 

I love that we got more of the dragons and sort of history/folklore of them in this. There were so many twists where we found out new things and I couldn’t predict any of them. 

This was also steamier than THW and I LOVED it. The angst combined with the fact that they are already married to each other was just amazing. The possessiveness and overall just WANT they had for each other was so intoxicating. LIKE HELLO????? 

I would add quotes but no. You have to experience those for yourself. It’s literally a religious experience or something I don’t know. I transcended. I died and came back to life. 🤭🤭

My heart hurts for them in such a huge way because of how future events are all up in the air and they come from different sides of the war. The third book is going to be positively painful. (I’m here for it.) 

This book set up the third one so well while also just being a great second book in a trilogy. I would read this over a million times. So! Good! Infinity stars!! Spectacular!!!!!!!! 

I also loved the relationship between Talasyn and Elagbi growing more fond of each other and also the interactions between Elagbi and Alaric. That is a duo that’s so underrated and I love them so much. 

This book was just so funny at times, I couldn’t help laughing out loud. The banter and just overall humor of the characters was fantastic!!! Books can make me cry a heaping lot but I love when they can also make me laugh so hard, my stomach hurts. (Or my family has to ask me what I’m laughing at and then proceed to look at me funny because I said a book). 

The tender moments and sharing/venting in this made me want to sob!!! I want to hug Talasyn and Alaric so badly and never let go. They are my favorites forever and ever. I can’t wait to see how it all goes down in the next book. (I’m terrified).

I will say, it’s like 70% romance 30% fantasy but I am so here for it. There’s just never a point where I got bored and I think that’s important to me when reading a book, since I have a short attention span. 

Thank you to HarperCollins Voyager for the ARC via NetGalley. <3 

- zluvsreading