The Hurricane Wars is a new fantasy romance novel by Thea Guanzon that follows Talasyn, an orphan who grew up in Sardovia, a nation that has been under siege by a ruthless tyrannical country called the Night Empire. In a world where magic is based on elements, Talasyn is a lightweaver, and those from the Night Empire are shadowforgers who deal with dark magic. The second protagonist is Prince Alaric, the Night Empire emperor’s only son and heir. Tasked with obliterating the Sardovian armed forces, Prince Alaric attacks a Sardovian base where he encounters Talasyn. The two try to kill each other, but amid their attacks they inadvertently merge their powers, creating a powerful shield that has never been seen before.
Somehow this newfound magic introduces a marriage; Talasyn and Prince Alaric are forced to partake in an arranged marriage, which becomes the focus of the entire novel. Forgoing the intricate politics and actual war going on, the novel instead focuses on how devastatingly attractive both characters are.
No doubt, Guanzon has the chops to create a fantastical world. Her magic system is unique, and her gorgeous descriptions of the lands are beautifully written. That is until readers are jerked back to Talaysn and Prince Alaric, whose personalities clash in a juvenile way. They constantly argue like siblings trying to one up one another, and their so-called banter becomes repetitive and tiring. Although the romance is a slow-burn, the fire is not burning and instead more like trying to light a wet candle stick.
Fantasy romance novels tend to be known for their inclusion of smut; it’s almost the major factor that differentiates upper YA novels from Adult novels. However, there’s not much spice to be read here. Easily take out the one so-called spicy scene and lower the ages of the main characters, and this could have been a YA novel. It’s easier to forgive the novel for its juvenile characters and dynamic, if it was targeted toward a younger audience.
The Hurricane Wars was originally written as a Star Wars fan fiction, and it shows. Even if readers are initially unaware this stems from a Kylo Ren x Rey fanfic, it becomes obvious in some cases as Prince Alaric is very clearly described in the novel with the exact descriptions of Kylo Ren. This gives context to the pacing issues and the constant need to pit the two characters against each other at the expense of plot and character development. Fan fiction is a way to explore a different perspective of a story that is not from the actual canon universe. It’s a way for writers to fulfill their wishes for established characters. Fanfic readers already know these characters and read these works as a continuation of pre-established world and events. Thus, the main issue that The Hurricane Wars suffers from is poor transition between the fan fiction and the published version. The world-building and magic system become tools to mask the original work, and it impacts the pacing of the novel. The book began so abruptly it felt like reading a sequel rather than the first in a series. There are also time skips when critical character growth should have happened, and more focus is unfortunately placed on the leads bickering like children.
While Guanzon has massive potential in her future works, The Hurricane Wars unfortunately felt like two warring books in one, and it was the original work that came out on top.
