This is an adult or new adult high fantasy story, which is based on a prophesy about the rise of Sun Queen and a Blood Queen. The Sun Queen is prophesied to save the kingdom, and the Blood Queen to destroy it.

The prologue was amazing and set the tone for the entire book. The prologue begins with Queen Rielle giving birth and sending her baby to safety via a small boy named Simon. She does this after the death of her husband, to protect her child from an angel named Corien.

The book then shifts to two years previous to these events. We follow Rielle’s journey prior to becoming a Queen. She is forced by her father to hide her magic, as magic is uncommon, especially possessing more than one type of magic, and Rielle possesses all seven kinds of elemental magic.

Rielle uses her magic to save the life of her friend, the prince. Once it is known that she possesses magic, she must endure Trials to test her magic and to prove she is the Sun Queen and not the Blood Queen.

We also follow Eliana, whose story takes place a thousand years in the future. Elaina is known as the Dread of Orline, a bounty hunter. She hunts rebels for the Empire in order to keep her family alive and safe. But women are disappearing, and no one knows why, or even seems to care. Until Eliana’s mother disappears. Then Elaina begins to search for her mother and the other missing women. She teams up with the captain of a rebel group who promises to help her find her mother.

This book is action packed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I struggled a bit in the beginning keeping track of which storyline I was following, but that didn’t last long. The story is told in alternating perspectives between the two women. Each woman has her “squad”, and I loved all of the side characters. They were all well fleshed out and I would read a book based on each of them. I can’t wait to see where the story continues.

Furyborn is a YA-fantasy of epic proportions that manages to span years with each alternating chapter but keep the reader hooked to each tale throughout. Rielle's unique magic means that she may either be the Blood Queen or the Sun Queen - one means death, while the other means light but which one is she? A thousand years later, Eliana is a mercenary and kills ruthlessly in order to keep her family fed and alive. But what is the connection between the two women?

I really enjoyed this book and the two different stories being told in the two different timelines. I was immediately sucked into it thanks to the intriguing prologue with Rielle and I thought the choice to suddenly backtrack a few years to Rielle finally using her powers and paving the way to the person she would become was a genius one. It immediately made me want to know what happened to her, to Audric, to the kingdom.

Eliana's chapters were also really intriguing but I definitely felt like I had read similar storylines before (such as Throne of Glass, Rebel of the Sands, etc). I enjoyed that both Eliana and Rielle are morally grey characters and they are not being portrayed as all good, or all evil. They contain the complexities that make up human character.

There were mentions in this book that Eliana has had a female lover in the past though there is no specific mention of her being bisexual. In Eliana's timeline there is also mention of characters in same sex marriages so obviously the LGBTQIA community is accepted, but it doesn't appear to be something attached to a main character yet.

There was a graphic sex scene in Rielle's timeline which I wasn't expecting but I loved AND a mention of contraception, which I also really appreciated. Any sex positive rep is good in my books.

I definitely preferred Rielle's chapters over Eliana's which meant that sometimes I just wanted to return to her,and I would be frustrated when the story would move from her to Eliana after only a chapter. I definitely have high hopes for this series, and can't wait for the next one already.

I was really looking forward to Furyborn and it did live up to its promises of being filled with fantasy and female characters with agency. The dual narrators, divided by 1,000 years, was a bold decision and when the stories intersect, Legrand creates interesting tensions. I did not love all of the world-building, but I really liked the elemental magic system that in many ways echoed works like "Children of Blood and Bone."

I had a hard time reading Furyborn, because I found a lot of the book derivative from other YA fantasy. The marketing hyped it as being very original, but I just didn't see it. Additionally, the romance plots felt problematic.

Summary

This book follows the story of Rielle, who finds out that she possesses all 7 types of magic known to her world when trying to protect her best friend. The problem is, that this is only to have been known to 2 prophesied queens in history. Rielle must prove that she is the "Sun Queen" by enduring a series of trials that will test every element of her magic, or possibly kill her in the process. In another storyline, Eliana is a bounty hunter in the future who finds that the empire is more evil than ever could have been imagined and she sets out on a quest to find her mother that has mysteriously vanished. These stories coincide and build off of one another in a tale of triumph.

Likes

I found this book to be so-so. I feel like it was hyped a little bit and it actually still is being hyped, so I might actually re-read it in the near future. I really enjoyed the character of Rielle: I thought she was strong in ways she didn't know that she could be and that discovery of magic with her was something that brought her realization to life. I think that the way this happened was actually quite interesting and the trials were as well because she was learning about herself at the same time. It's certainly one of those books that reminds me of other YA novels but it was unique in its own way. I think that the cover is absolutely gorgeous and illustrates the book well, with its two crowns and bold graphics. I thought that this book also kept my attention which is something that is difficult quite often when I am reading a ton of galleys that I need to review in succession. I wanted to keep reading and I actually read it almost all in one sitting. 

Dislikes

I feel like many people know by now that I really don't like dual storylines. And it isn't just in books: pretty much in any movie or TV show I also dislike them. I find it hard to connect with both of the characters equally and I think that is what happened here. I liked Eliana but I didn't feel like I was as interested in her story as Rielle's. Maybe that is just something that I do in keeping my attention with a book, but Rielle's story was much more engaging for me than was Eliana's. I think that it was nice to have a book that didn't focus around romance but included some elements of love and self in it. I feel that the strong female main characters are what pushed this book from a 2 to a 3 for me and would actually interest me in reading the next book in the series.

Recommendation

I would recommend this book to fans of strong female characters and magic. I know that is such a general statement but it could be appealing to a variety of audiences!

I tried. I seriously tried to love this book because from the first chapter it grabbed me. But then the back and forth between the two different characters from different time periods happens and I never felt like I had enough time to connect to the character before I was jumping to the other character and I was struggling. This was unfortunately a DNF for me but only for now. I think I need to read this essentially in one go because I would put it down and I would forget who was talking and it just kept throwing me off. I feel like I can really like this book but the back and forth was just not doing it for me.

some books are harder to write about than others, not because you don't have much to say, but because you don't want to give away too much about the plot. furyborn is not like other books i've read before. the structure and concept are surprising and different.

the dual pov and timelines are not what you'd expect, and the story takes you on twisty paths that keep you guessing and make you hungry for more. this is a story about two girls, two queens, and the power they wield that affects the whole world around them. and the at times devastating consequences to that power. and it's a good thing that there are three books meant to be in this series.

**furyborn will publish on may 22, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgally/sourcebooks fire.

I give this 3 1/2 stars. It was hard for me to read because I didn't care about Rielle and everytime it went back to her story I didn't really want to read the book. I understand there was a reason for the going back and forth between Eilana and Rielle but I really wished the book was just about Eilana and her time. I did enjoy the story with Eilana. I will be interested to see what happens now in Eilana's time. I know that this series will get better with the next book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review

A thoroughly entertaining YA fantasy from start to finish, Furyborn is a well-written, fast-paced story with compelling characters and interesting world-building. A solid start to a new fantasy series.

"We are all of us dark creatures [...] but if we linger in those shadows, we'll be lost. Instead we must seek the light when we can."

I found the writing style flowed very nicely and there were many lines that I found especially pretty. The prologue in particular was perfectly crafted. It was intense, compelling and highly emotional and was a great way to introduce us to the world. That being said, it did give a lot of the story away and some of the plot-twists were incredibly obvious because of it. But I think the pay-off for these reveals came from the characters uncovering these secrets and how they reacted to them. 

The book was told in dual perspective where the story would focus one chapter on Rielle and the next on Eliana, 1,000 years apart. At first, I wasn't sure how this structure would work out but I really liked how the story unraveled. Most of the chapters would leave you on a cliff-hanger which definitely quickened the pace of the story and made me tear through the pages. It didn't feel like a 500-page fantasy and my eyes were glued to the pages throughout, wanting to know what happened.

"Revolutions mean nothing if their soldiers forget to care for the people they're fighting to save."

I really loved the short excerpts we got at the start of each new chapter that would contain extra pieces of world-building that gave readers a greater insight into the world. It was especially interesting seeing excerpts from characters we haven't met yet - these definitely made me want to find out more so I could piece together more of the story.

Speaking of the world-building, I really loved it in this. It contained many elements of my favourite fantasies, such as angels, elemental magic and a detailed mythological history, including epic wars and saints. This fantasy world felt very full and this first instalment gave readers just the right amount of world-building, without bombarding us with too much useless information.

"You are a dreamer, a teller of tales [...] You ache for magic, and for all those golden giants of the past."

The characters really stood out for me in this. I loved reading from the perspectives of both main characters and I really appreciated how unapologetically flawed they both were, in their own ways. I largely enjoyed reading from both perspectives but I did prefer Eliana's character arc a little more - she is really put through her paces in this instalment. 

I also liked all of the side characters and found their relationship dynamics interesting. They were all fleshed out well and had a lot to add to the overall plot. The romances took a back seat and didn't really feature too much which was nice. I'm really intrigued to continue following Rielle's and Eliana's journey throughout the rest of this series.

"If there is wickedness inside you [...] I shall treasure it as I do every other part of you."

I think what let this book down a little bit for me is some elements of the plot. In particular, Rielle's story arc felt kind of repetitive. The same story arc was incorporated over and over again when Rielle had to complete numerous trials. Every other chapter of Rielle's consisted of her starting the trial, panicking that she wouldn't be able to complete it, then realising how powerful her magic was and finishing the task. And, given the prologue, we already know that she survives the trials so it did take away some of the possible high stakes in the book. I never really felt on edge reading Rielle's chapters because I knew what would happen because of the prologue. This made parts of Furyborn a tad boring to read, but didn't impact my overall enjoyment since I liked the characters so much.

"Good girls don't live long."

I also just want to mention the 'bi rep' quickly because I feel like this book is being falsely promoted as having rep in it. It is literally a quick mention of Eliana talking about who she has slept with and... that's it. First of all, behaviour does not equal attraction, particularly when it's being mentioned in relation to Eliana engaging in sex work as part of her job as being an assassin. I don't know if it was the author, the publisher or the readers who were hyping it for bi rep but I just thought I should mention it here in case anyone was looking forward to it for this reason, particularly when I felt that there was so much more chemistry between Eliana and Navi. And a polyamorous relationship between Rielle, Audric and Ludivine would also have made perfect sense. So I am a little disappointed, being pan, that this was being hyped for multi-gender attraction rep that I felt like it did not provide.

Also, on a somewhat petty note, the sex scene really reminded me of a Sarah J. Maas-esque type of weird-and-very-unrealistic-and-also-slightly-gross sex scene. The phrase "utterly male" was used to describe Rielle's lover which I rolled my eyes so hard at. If you're into Maas's style of erotica then you'll probably really like this scene. Definitely not for me though and I ended up skimming this bit (towards the end of chapter 41 if you want to skim it too!)

Also, last point, towards the beginning (chapter 5) there is an instance of animal cruelty that you should be aware of. It was quite graphic and I felt like it was completely unnecessary. Please take care when reading that part.

Overall, Furyborn was a fun, addicting YA fantasy that kept my eyes glued to the page. Although it isn't the most unique story, it was very entertaining and I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Furyborn was fantastic!! I love a good story with strong female characters and this book did not disappoint!

Inside is a story about Rielle and Eliana. Told hundreds of years apart. One is the Sun Queen while the other is the Blood Queen but which is which is for you to read and find out. Their stories are sad. They’re heroic. They’re intense and suspenseful. They’re intriguing.

I did not want to put this book down it was just that good. I would be lying if I said it was without flaws. It wasn’t. At first I couldn’t get into it. I was confused and I couldn’t connect to the characters because of the huge time difference but that didn’t last long. Once I understood who was who and what time they were in it became addicting. I was consumed by it. I couldn’t stop thinking about these characters and the lives they were leading.

Furyborn is unique. It’s filled with fantasy, suspense, magic, love and the perfect amount of angst. I love it so much and I can’t wait, absolutely can not wait, until book 2!!!

This book kept me captivated from the very first sentence. It wasn’t like anything I’ve read before. This idea of angels who are evil...it was just really intriguing. Well done!

Despite my love of fantasy, it took me forever to get into this story. But, then again, I was never actually into it.

The POV shifts were frustrating, and despite the fact that it wouldn't have worked with the story, I wish that I'd been able to read it chronologically. I only really enjoyed the Rielle chapters when Audric was there, and Eliana was just annoying. And oddly entitled considering her upbringing, whereas Rielle the Lady wasn't. Which is sort of interesting. But I don't know.

I did appreciate the clever sharing of information, like with things we know will happen to Rielle and company. It was like working with a prophecy of sorts. But that gimmick was also overdone in places. For example: I couldn't be anxious with Rielle, or care, when it was confirmed by Eliana that [redacted]. Stop taking away my right to speculate.

Another note on the frustrating POV shifts: I would finish the chapter, get to the inevitable cliff hanger, and (sometimes) want to continue that perspective. But I'd be dumped into the other timeline and by the time it switched back, I'd have stopped caring about the present circumstances. Or the past/future circumstances. Or whatever. This was worse than most other books with multiple POVs, because at least normally the characters are in the same general area. Or have spoken. Or will guaranteed at least glance at each other out of the corner of their eye. Or maybe they're at least in the same time period. Maybe.

By page 80 I was already done with the narrative, but I forged ahead another 60 pages because I was under the delusion that it would get better. A third the way through the novel, we were. Still. Painstakingly. Setting up. The story.

I was amused by Simon, even though he's every other love-hate-not-entirely-heroic-love-interest-who-knows-what's-going-on. The characterization overall really wasn't that bad. There's potential there. But I still don't care about them.

I read the last two chapters to sort of figure out if I was really truly going to DNF it, and I just don't see how I'm missing out. This book was very hard to get into, so hard that I apparently felt the need to mention it twelve times, and I just couldn't take it any more. No element was compelling enough to keep me...compelled. Maybe something came along later in the book that refuted my gripes, but I just don't care to find out.

I tried?

The cover's pretty cool, and I really like fantasy books with female protagonists, but unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. I think I started this way back in January, but by this past Friday, I'd only made it to 24%. I sat down that night, intending to get a good chunk done, and after what felt like forever, I was only at 29%. So I decided not to finish this one.

I don't think I have much to add to what people have already said. Talking about believability in a fantasy book feels weird, but this story stretched mine. Eliana is supposed to be a serious assassin, but a lot of the times, she just feels incompetent. Her mom is supposed to be an assassin, too, the one who taught Eliana everything, but then she gets captured? It seemed like it just happened for plot purposes.

I also just didn't like anyone. I don't think every female character has to be "likeable," but I have to want to root for someone. The problem was I didn't connect with either Rielle or Eliana, and I can't really pinpoint why. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that their stories didn't feel like they revolved around them, if that makes sense. As for the side characters, no one captured me. It feels like Simon was supposed to be charming, but . . . meh? Because of my disinterest for the characters, some moments that were meant to be emotional just felt silly to me. Like Harkan declaring his love for Eliana right before he does something unwise.

The writing didn't click for me. The prologue confused me rather than got me hooked on the story. Because of the time jumps, a lot of it felt repetitive. The pacing is a lot of action and not a lot of character development. A horse gets killed pretty violently, which I really hated.

All that said, this book obviously works for some readers. That's cool. It just wasn't for me, and that's okay, too. Different strokes, and all that.

Title: Furyborn
Author: Claire Legrand
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Rielle Dardenne has lived with a horrible secret since she was five years old: she can control all seven of the elements of magic, not just one. Rielle tells no one, not even her best friends, Prince Audric and Ludivine, his fiancée. But when assassins ambush Audric, Rielle unleashes her magic to save his life, revealing her secret.

To prove which of the prophesied queens she is—the Queen of Light or the Blood Queen—Rielle must face seven trials, trials that will test her loyalty, her power, and her control. Her only ally is the voice in her head—Corien, one of the angels who has supposedly been vanquished. Rielle is determined to prove herself the Queen of Light, but Corien makes her question who she really is.

A thousand years later, Eliana is a bounty hunter, forced to work with the Empire to keep her family safe. Until her mother vanishes, and Eliana will do anything to find her, even ally herself with the Wolf, the mysterious man who is hiding secrets that will change Eliana’s world forever.

I’ve seen a lot of opposing reviews on Furyborn. It seems most people either love it or HATED it. I enjoyed it a lot, although the switching from Rielle’s to Eliana’s POV confused me a few times (a thousand years apart, and the world is essentially the same). I liked the strong female characters, and the female friendships were great, too. I didn’t learn much about the magic system, but it intrigued me. This is the first in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to read more!

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

I really loved this book. I thought the duel POV and duel time lines was a such a engaging way to tell this story. I grew to enjoy both sides of this story. It is interesting story because you know the ending but seeing how you get there is fun ride. I loved both female leads and also how magic was represented in this story. I really loved the character of simon ( i love that name btw) and hope we get more backstory about him in the future books. I love how both stories tied together in the end. It was slow burn story but towards the end it was hard to put down. I will def be reading book two :)

Furyborn:

This story was initially very confusing because there was so much happening all at once. It took me a few chapters to familiarize myself with all the characters and where they fit in to the story. It’s not a straightforward story at all (with two alternating stories happening 1000 years apart), but it is totally enrapturing. I became invested in the story almost immediately.

That being said, the story arcs seem a little forced or sudden at times. You have Eliana, who is very similar to Celaena from Throne of Glass. She’s an invincible assassin who is essentially a psychopath with little to no true emotions. That’s how she’s portrayed, even from her own perspective. She feels little to no remorse and almost can’t understand why those around her do. And then within a matter of weeks she’s allowing a new acquaintance to hold her while she cries over a nightmare. I found it impossible to reconcile these two versions of Eliana because it happened too suddenly and without a catalyst. Eliana’s story has many, many parallels to the Throne of Glass series. Assassins, mythical creatures long thought to be extinct (Fae and Angels), the enemies creating an animalistic army out of people (the dark army in Morath/the Crawlers)...so many similarities.

I found myself enamored with Simon from page 1, and even though the revelation of who he was didn’t come as a total shock, it still made me pause my reading and sigh with some sort of relief to have him back in the story. Even though I’d only read a few chapters, he felt like a familiar face I was so happy to have back. And his chemistry with Eliana is great. But like Eliana, his character is painfully inconsistent. I hated that they did away with a lot of his snark and made him very noble and subservient once Eliana realizes who she is. He becomes another adoring male, similar to Audric, and I didn’t like it at all. His snark was most of his charm. The little boy hardened with time and struggle. Rielle also seems inconsistent, going from power hungry to selfless in a flash. Overall, the characters in this story are inconsistent and poorly fleshed out.

Audric and Rielle’s love was perfection at times. I didn’t especially love Rielle, but her story gripped me and I couldn’t help but root for her. She is very reminiscent of Mare Barrow from Red Queen, as are the trials she endures. The creepy draw of Rielle and Corine is also reminiscent of Mare and Maven.

But the biggest issue I had with this book is that I couldn’t tell who to route for, or what exactly I was hoping for. I was awaiting a big revelation that would clue me in to what I was supposed to be cheering for, but it became obvious early on what the big twist would be. And even then I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be hoping to happen. The story feels a bit disjointed and like you’re floating along aimlessly. I enjoyed reading it, but I don’t imagine I’ll be thinking about it long now that I’m done. It makes me reminisce more about Throne of Glass than anything else.

FURYBORN is an ambitious book that mostly succeeds. With its beautiful cover and intriguing, action packed start, I was immediately drawn into the epic story. Readers looking for a sizable fantasy trilogy with two female heroes, will no doubt enjoy the 500 pages that make up the first book in the Empirium saga.

FURYBORN works as a dense introduction to future books. Because such a wealth of information is presented, scenes are often too short to be fully immersive and character development is left on the wayside in an effort to keep the plot careening forward. This issue is highlighted by an over reliance on short chapters that end on cliffhangers.

While I greatly enjoyed that FURYBORN is written from the POV of two women, their voices are too similar--snarky and overconfident. They are both strong, capable women, but I would have liked to see more development and difference between the two.

Readers that enjoy romance with their fantasy may be pleased with the intensity of emotion and time spent focused on the relationships in the novel. There's also a lot to unpack plot-wise, especially since the narrative jumps back and forth 1,000 years. So readers looking for a puzzle to put together will no doubt be intrigued by what the Empirium Trilogy offers up in this first introduction.

Furyborn follows two women who are living their lives centuries apart, both of whom hold the power to either destroy or save the world in their hands. When assassins come after her best friend, Rielle risks everything to save him and in the process, she exposes herself as one of the prophesied queens; one of light and one of blood. Now Rielle is to be put through seven elemental trials to determine which queen she will be. If she fails, she will be executed. One thousand years later the legend of Queen Rielle is nothing more than a story – a fairy tale. Eliana Ferracora is a bounty hunter for the Undying Empire. She thinks she is invisible and untouchable… until her mother vanishes. Now, she joins a rebel captain to find her mother and discovers that the evil at the heart of the Undying Empire is much worse than she could ever imagine and perhaps all those stories she thought were just fairytales are more real than she thought.

As some of you might know I absolutely adore a good high fantasy and Furyborn was a highly anticipated read of mine and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed Furyborn and it kept me gripped right from the start till the very end which is unusual especially considering the length of this (500+pages). The world building for me was a positive. I have seen some negative reviews concerning the worldbuilding but I thought it was done really well. There was a map at the front, and a table at the back outlining different houses and the powers related to each one such as earthshaker and metalworker so I really liked it. One thing that I wasn’t too fond of was the extravagance of the powers, they just seemed a little… too overpowering? too over-the-top? Especially considering Rielle had all seven elemental powers.

One of my favourite things about Furyborn was the protagonists. I adored both our main characters – Rielle and Eliana. I loved their fury and anger and the darkness they both held within. Eliana was brash and blunt. Rielle was lovely, angry and arrogant but also very privileged. But I always have a soft spot for our morally grey, complex, and unlikeable female characters. So, Furyborn is a very fitting title for our protagonists.

I loved the idea of the prophecy, one Sun Queen and one Blood Queen – both just as powerful as each other and held the power of the world in their hand. I also really loved the angels in Furyborn, they were very interesting and Corien was an exciting antagonist. I loved how we never really saw him or saw what he was capable of. I also really loved how there were two different stories but were set one thousand years apart. I liked how Claire Legrand wove the two stories together and I am really looking forward to the sequel!

Overall, Furyborn is a thrilling fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat and I adored our brutal and angry leading ladies.

4.5 stars

This story goes back and forth between two girls one thousand years apart, one trying to prove she is worthy to be the sun queen, the other just trying to survive with her brother and those she loves most, but that is proving to be harder and harder each day, until she teams up with a stranger that just might have answers to some tough questions. It's as the two worlds come together when things really heat up and prophecies start to come to light.

This was a awesome book, once you get used to the characters and the back and forth of the times. The action and suspense are non-stop, and this book will really have you up past your bead time reading as you just can't wait to see what happens. This is the kind of book that locks you in its grasp and won't let you go, actually I think I am still locked in it grasp waiting to see what happens in the next book, please hurry.

How I wanted to like this one. Furyborn tells the story of Rielle and Eliana, two women separated by 1000 years sharing a destiny. One is the rumored Sun Queen and the other is the rumored Blood Queen. Rielle is in the care of the royal family when one day, her power awakens and she's taken to task proving mastery of all seven elements. Eliana is the Dread of Orline, a bounty hunter. Her mother goes missing and she does all she can to find her. All the while, angels are returning to take over the world.

I'll start with the things I liked. The action-sequences were exciting. They were well-paced and reading Rielle's inner turmoil added a level of connection between the reader and character in a great way. Ludivine as a character is such a great case study of a fleshed-out individual. The angels were really cool and I might continue the series if only to learn more about them.

So many editorial choices lessened my enjoyment. You could tell how much effort went into the world-building. None of it made it onto the page. The only tangible difference I got out of the past and future was that one had guns and lacked magic. There wasn't enough different between the two. In addition, the prologue sucked all the well-developed tension in all of Rielle's scenes. We already know how her story ends, so putting her in a life-or-death type balance did nothing for me. The way the chapters were cut were so abrupt, with entire scenes being interrupted by quieter moments in the other POV. Splicing these together in bigger chunks would have made for more seamless transitions. Moreover, the plot didn't even seem to start until the last quarter of the book because so much of the other three quarters is plot build-up and not even world-building.

In addition, I had learned early on that there was bisexual rep in this book. I wanted it to be there, as I identify as a bisexual. But I could not find it. It wasn't because both our main characters have pairings with men, it was that expressing attraction to another gender was consistently missing. Perhaps if I hadn't known going in, I would not have been disappointed in this aspect. The romances were great otherwise.

I really wanted to be hype about Furyborn but too many things got under my skin in this first installment.

There isn't much to add that hasn't already been said about this book. The two strong female protagonists will appeal to readers who enjoy female-centric stories, while the alternating timelines will keep you guessing about how it all ties together. The story of Eliana reminds me of Kate Elliott's Court of Fives with an empire building by conquest over another civilization, the ruins and traditions buried beneath them. The world building in Rielle's story is interesting- the humans, the angels, the marques (a mix of both), and the way they all interact will hook you in during the brief interlude before Chapter 1 even begins.

If you enjoy fantasy, strong female characters, plots and mysteries, supernatural or superhuman abilities, and some swords and sorcery action - then give Furyborn a try.