Anna

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Anna is Currently Reading

Anna is currently reading

A Wolfe in the Woods

by Zoey Draven (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 22, 2026 03:35PM

Anna is currently reading

Moominpappa at Sea (The Moomins, #8)

by Tove Jansson

bookshelves: classics, fantasy, 2022-reading-challenge, children-s-books, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2022

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Sep 05, 2025 05:57PM

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The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars, #1)

by Thea Guanzon (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: fantasy-romance, romance, enemies-to-lovers, masked-mc, 2023-reading-challenge, lone-wolf-loners, royal-romance, sad-bois, slow-burn, favorites, 2024-reading-challenge, arranged-marriage, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

read in August 2023

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Anna said: " “The Hurricane Wars” by Thea Guanzon

5⭐️/5⭐️
1.5🌶/5🌶

“He had never before felt so wounded for someone else. The girl was bewitching him.”

The Hurricane Wars have been raging for years, and at nineteen years old, Talasyn remains one of Sardovia’s greatest “The Hurricane Wars” by Thea Guanzon

5⭐️/5⭐️
1.5🌶/5🌶

“He had never before felt so wounded for someone else. The girl was bewitching him.”

The Hurricane Wars have been raging for years, and at nineteen years old, Talasyn remains one of Sardovia’s greatest fighters in the war. She possesses the ability to manipulate light into powerful magic, one of the last of the legendary Lightweavers. On the battlefield she encounters Alaric Ossinast, prince of the Night empire, and a skilled Shadowforgerer. The two continue to fight each other at every opportunity, but are shocked to learn that combining their powers creates an impenetrable shield. Can they find a way to work together and harness this newfound ability, or are their differences too strong?

-I’m still pinching myself that I was able to read an ARC of this book. What an incredible story! This was one of my most anticipated book releases of the year, and it did not disappoint. As many of you know, this book was originally written as Reylo fanfic. I avoided reading the original fic, because I didn’t want to be distracted by the Star Wars references; I wanted to totally immerse myself in the fantasy world built by the author. And I did, I could practically taste the food described, feel the warm breeze in Nenavar, and see the vibrant colors of Talasyn’s clothing. You don’t need to be a Star Wars fan in order to enjoy this story, the original plot holds up well on its own. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s one where some threads are somewhat resolved. However, there are enough elements of the story left open where fans can speculate on what’s going to happen in book two. I’m also very impressed with how Guanzon represented both sides of the Hurricane Wars conflict, readers will find themselves conflicted about who to support. Honestly, I can see how each side believes they’re in the right, and I’m interested to see how this conflict will be resolved in future books.

-Readers are immediately thrust into a tense conflict between Sardovian forces and the Kesathese army. It doesn’t take long to understand that Talaysn, a fighter on the Sardovian side who wields light magic, is on the losing side of war. Time and time again, her allies are pushed further back and lose more territory to the Night empire. Countless friends have perished, supplies are dwindling, and overall it’s a very stressful situation. The world building in the first part of the story is dense, and at times I had to reread paragraphs. But this never took away from my enjoyment of the story, and I welcomed being challenged as a reader.

-This book is marketed as an enemies to lovers romance, and while this trope gets thrown around a lot in the romantasy genre, “The Hurricane Wars” is one thousand percent an enemies to lovers situation. Alaric and Talasyn truly hate each other, and legitimately try to harm each other again and again. There’s no secret pining, it’s more like they’re completely baffled by their budding attraction to one another. The fighting between them slowly takes a turn from attempting to inflict harm, to almost a kind of foreplay (but, again, they’re still confused about their feelings). I like that they continue to distrust the other person even after being in classic romantic situations (ex. forced proximity, in several instances).

-Going back to the world building, I think my favorite part of the whole story was the way Guanzon incorporated Filipino culture. To draw inspiration from such a vibrant and beautiful country, it’s unique and something I don’t think I’ve read before. The descriptions of food, outfits, ceremonies, and even just everyday life for the people of Nenavar was endlessly fascinating; I wish there was a comprehensive recipe list of all the wonderful food mentioned in the story. There’s one point where Alaric and Talasyn sneak off and eat a dish that, upon Googling, appears to be inspired by Taho, and I was salivating reading that scene!

-This is a slow burn, a very, very slow burn. I’m talking, wait until almost the last chapter to get any kind of spice. I normally read books where the spice hits at least around ~75% into the story, so reading “The Hurricane Wars” was a big change for me. But it was really nice reading about those gradual, small forms of affection leading up to a big moment between the FMC and MMC. However, waiting until the end of the book pays off big time, and readers are treated to a really spicy scene; my jaw dropped at some of the things Alaric said.

-I would recommend this book if you are interested in reading a totally unique fantasy romance, love the enemies to lovers trope and want to read a story where they’re ACTUAL enemies, enjoy slow burns, or are looking for a book with beautiful and poetic prose. “The Hurricane Wars” releases October 3, 2023. ...more "

progress:

(40%)
— Jul 06, 2026 01:27PM

Sep 06, 2024 09:45AM · see review

See all 7 books that Anna is reading…

Anna’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for Dawn of the Darkest Day: Volume 1 of the Soultappers Saga

Dawn of the Darkest Day: Volume 1 of the Soultappers Saga by K.C. Woodruff

2 notes & 21 highlights

Selune rose over a dying city.

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Anna’s Quotes

“Learn everything. Fill your mind with knowledge—it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you.” Hansu never told him to study, but rather to learn, and it occurred to Noa that there was a marked difference. Learning was like playing, not labor.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

386 likes

“Gwyn whispered, “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.” Nesta straightened at the words, as if they were a prayer and a summons. Gwyn lifted the blade. “Nothing can break me.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Silver Flames

863 likes

“Nothing's perfect, the world's not perfect. But it's there for us, trying the best it can; that's what makes it so damn beautiful.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1

tags: aesthetics, flaws, inspirational

569 likes