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For starters, the storyworld is lush and vividly imagined. There’s simply sufficient of our world in there that it feels tangible sufficient to think about, however positively a wholesome dose of creation that makes it clear it’s a very completely different place. This is smart, provided that Guanzon has advised interviewers the books are “set in a world spun from the myths and cultures of my home region of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines.”
Not solely that, however the political tensions are very well carried out—not so nerve-racking as to be deterring, however current sufficient to be attention-grabbing and add to the suspense of the plot. And the love story? Properly, let’s simply say issues are actually heating up within the second installment of the sequence, Monsoon Rising.
A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon
A Monsoon Rising begins virtually instantly after Talasyn and Alaric’s marriage of state, and time is already operating out for them to hone the unusual magic that solely they will make collectively. No person is aware of the precise nature of the bond created by Talasyn’s mild magic and Alaric’s shadow magic, however it’s the one hope the realm has in opposition to the looming risk of the Moonless Darkish, a once-every-thousand-years magical phenomenon that destroys each residing factor in its path. (oo stress on the younger newlyweds!).
Because the political entanglements of the Evening Empire and the Nenavar Dominion grow to be more and more perilous, Talasyn and Alaric discover themselves on the heart of a brewing storm that has nothing to do with the Moonless Darkish. Alliances are being cast, political intrigue is afoot, and there’s no manner both of those heroes is escaping something unscathed. Although the pair had been as soon as sworn enemies combating on reverse sides of the Hurricane Wars, their relationship takes on new (and spicy) dimensions as they’re compelled to depend on one another in preparation for the Moonless Darkish.
As an apart for these of you who (like me) are suckers for a fairly e-book, this explicit version options stunning painted edges depicting the storyworld’s seven moons in varied phases of eclipse—a big visible for the reason that Moonless Darkish occurs when all seven moons are in full eclipse on the identical time.
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Beautiful binding apart, Guanzon’s Philippines-inspired storyworld is totally charming. It’s been some time since I’ve learn a fantasy sequence that’s taken over my creativeness like The Hurricane Wars books. However thank the writing gods (or, you recognize, the very proficient writer) for this immersive sequence as a result of books like this are actually the explanation I like fantasy. The writing is a dream, and each component of this storyworld is evocatively imagined: the magic, the politics, the panorama, the characters…all of it.
I additionally love that this isn’t simply one other fantasy universe that revolves solely round straight white male characters; whereas there’s actually room for such characters in fantasy, the style has an extended historical past of disproportionately that includes such characters as heroes on the expense of others. As award-winning author N.Okay. Jemisin stated in an interview, sci-fi and fantasy prides itself on being “future forward,” however the style’s futures are inclined to function “mostly straight white male characters and kind of nobody else.” Nevertheless, on this sequence, Guanzon has created a dynamic solid of characters that symbolize a various array of races, genders, and sexualities. Every character has a definite and complicated character; their magic is attention-grabbing; and their motivations are nuanced. In different phrases, Guanzon’s characters are delightfully heterogeneous.
With regard to the principle characters, Talasyn and Alaric’s love story positively deepens on this second installment and it’s good to see the development. Partitions are coming down, however outdated habits die laborious (I imply, whenever you’ve spent nearly all of your interactions actually making an attempt to kill one another previous to agreeing to a strategic political marriage, effectively, it is smart that you simply’d have bother letting your guard down). I’ll admit that after I learn the primary e-book within the sequence, I puzzled how Guanzon was ever going to jot down a convincing enemies-to-lovers storyline with these explicit characters. However she’s carried out it, that’s for certain. They’re conflicted in ways in which appear plausible to me—we see every of them eager to let the opposite in, but additionally combating perceived rejections and considerations in regards to the different’s motivations. And in some way, by way of all of it, their relationship manages to be actually candy.
I can’t suggest this sequence extremely sufficient, and A Monsoon Rising is in some way one of many few second books that’s even higher than the primary! I can’t anticipate the following installment (truthful warning: on the time of this writing, Ebook 3 is slated for publication in January 2026). Pleased studying!
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