The one question that kept spinning around in my mind as I read Furyborn is “why should I care?” I didn’t like the characters, the story almost put me to sleep, the stakes were never high enough to get my blood pumping, and the sex scenes made me laugh (not in a good way). I dislike giving one star but there was literally nothing I enjoyed about this book.

It's just too long, poorly-paced and oh so very boring. I feel like the author tried to channel Throne of Glass, which is also too long, poorly-paced and occasionally boring, but it still manages to somehow keep me interested. I need to break my notes down into points to try to make sense of them.

➽ Two perspectives. 1,000 years apart.
I'm not sure if I found it jarring and confusing because the book jumped quickly from one perspective to the next, not allowing me enough time to connect with either Rielle or Eliana, or if I found it jarring and confusing because these two different perspectives were 1,000 years apart, though the voices remained virtually identical and very little had seemed to change in that millennium.

If you compare it to our world, 1,000 years ago our world looked a little something like Game of Thrones but with disappointingly fewer dragons - how could so little have changed in that time frame in the novel? I sometimes couldn't even remember whose chapter I was on.

➽ A little less action, a little more conversation. Please.
Okay, that's decidedly less catchy. But I feel like this is a book of mindless action scene after mindless action scene. It lacked all the other things that give a story some substance-- complex characterization and relationships, world-building, compelling plot. It is 500+ pages of almost constant action and it draaaagggs. If I don't care about the characters or story, I'm just not going to care about the action.

➽ Bland characters.
You know what’s worse than a Mary Sue heroine? TWO Mary Sue heroines. Rielle is deliberately made to sound oh so baaaddd and uber-powerful but I just found her uninteresting. I think the author wanted her to be some kind of complex anti-heroine but instead she just rubbed me the wrong way with her all-powerful super specialness.

Eliana is pretty much the same. Super special cardboard cutout badass who is known as "the Dread of Orline.”

➽ What is the plot exactly?
I found it confusing to follow at times. I know what happened, but I really struggled to get a sense of what I should be concerned about, want to know, or root for, as I read. Rielle's chapters offered very little tension to me, even though I usually enjoy books with magical trials. Perhaps it was because she was so special that it never occurred to me that she might fail.

And Eliana's chapters were full of a lot of action but, again, I found it so dry and unexciting. It all felt like yet another forgettable YA fantasy bogged down by a bland romance and mindless action scenes.

➽ Romance, sex and bi rep(?)
It's just weird, honestly. Sex-positivity is great, the normalizing of masturbation is great, but these characters often act like sex is the most important thing in their world. I felt like all Rielle cared about was banging Audric the bland. I also don’t feel like it always was sex-positive, especially as Eliana seems to use sex as a form of manipulation.

The sex scenes themselves are pretty nauseating and overwritten, with the earth shaking and mist rising (no, seriously) à la Sarah J. Maas.

I don't know about you, but I was eager to read this for the bi rep. I've even heard this being touted as a "bi fantasy" which, having read the book, is a huge stretch. I'm gonna be honest and say I actually missed it the first time and had to go skimming back through the book to find it. The bi rep in this book is like two casual mentions of the MCs having been with women sexually. That's it. Great.

➽ To conclude...
I was mostly just bored. I think the book has a great premise, but that is by far the best thing about it. There was so much talk of angel wars and fantasy politics and deadly trials, but all that got lost somewhere under everything I didn’t give a crap about.

I really enjoyed Furyborn and although it is most certainly a YA fantasy, it also has some elements of science fiction as well. I feel like I have read quite a few YA fantasy books lately that revolve around magic, but I did like this story and moves along at a pretty fast pace, blending the above mentioned genres. There are two different stories going on throughout the book focusing on two different main characters, Rielle and Eiana, yet the stories take place a thousand years apart.

I really enjoyed the prologue (no spoilers) that explains a few things about the duel story line right from the beginning. The book definitely starts out filled with action and the plot moves like that throughout the book. I have to say, there were a few story lines and things that happened that seemed a bit familiar, actually quite familiar, from one of my favorite series. But every reader can decide what they think about that on their own. Overall, it is a certainly a fast-paced and action packed YA fantasy. The author did a good job with the world building and overall I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for sending me an ARC of this book.

This is a solid fantasy title. The combination of realism and fantasy aspects is well combined. I'm excited for the next installment.

This has now made me a fan of Claire Legrand. For life. I love a bad ass heroine. Or two. I love a good healthy dose of fantasy mixed in. This has all of that. This has everything. I was blown away! 5/5

Furyborn is actually worth the hype! The writing is lush, the characters developed and the plot engaging and fast paced!

Unfortunately this will be a DNF. I find the writing choppy and hard to follow and can't really get into the too-abrupt beginning. I liked the premise and the cover, but this book is sadly is not for me.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I like to think that I'm able to find a book somewhat good, even if the general consensus is terrible. I have very few DNFs and less-than-3 starred reads. Furyborn is an unfortunate addition to the list. It was difficult to consume after the first chapter and it almost became a DNF from that point. But I tried, I really did. I am giving it two stars for the beautiful cover, the prologue, and the chapter heads.

I really wanted to love this book. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. But I really struggled to make it to the finish line. To be honest, I was running right past the hurdles in desperation to finish. If I had to describe it in three words: bulky, boring, bland - you get the gist.

It started out strong. Incredibly gripping. It was well-paced, suspenseful, so full of hope for the rest of the story. But by the end of it, the entire plot was predictable. You find out what Simon can do, who comes next, etc, etc, etc. And you just know.

The rest felt like I was eating a block of paper and my mouth and brain absolutely could not, would not digest it. Probably because you're kinda not meant to eat paper. There were a lot of unnecessary scenes and paragraphs throughout. Rielle's chapters were vaguely interesting to begin with, but it all became painfully repetitive. I liked her POV better than Eliana's, though. Eliana was too trope-y and her personality did not win me over. Mostly because she kinda didn't have one. I liked her spunk at the start, however, so I'll give her that. But that was it. She was meant to be this badass but I found her ridiculous.
Don't even get me started on the romance in this book. Please don't.

The world building was basically non-existent. Most of it is all surface information that didn't have any information to add substance it it. I had no idea why the angels were a thing, for one. The magic: where and what and how even? Just so, so many things. So many things.

Time-consuming and hugely disappointing, this is definitely not one of my favourite reads of 2018. I managed to make it through the whole book, just barely, so I'll give myself a pat on the back for perseverance. It's generally just a very difficult book to consume. It definitely had potential and I am disappointed that it didn't reach any of it. Oh well.

DNF. I have overdosed on fantasy fiction and after 30% , I gave up. Couldn’t get invested in the characters or the story.

Mesmerizing. Profound. Epic.
ISBN: 978-1492656623

THE STORY

Two women, separated by centuries, each trapped in an unhappy life by who they are and how they were born. Both struggling to hide themselves, both yearning to be free.

THE READ

Furyborn has two completely separate (and yet ultimately intertwined) storylines, and both are incredibly fast-paced. Each plot has its own kick-ass heroine and tons of action, which is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. I could… not… put… it… down.

I sat with this book for a long time after I finished it. Riveting. Like… riveting. The prolog basically shows you where one of the two storylines is heading, and yet that one was still my favorite of the two. How is that even possible??? I knew the ending up front and I still couldn’t stop reading it! That just blew me away.

I was so caught up in Rielle’s story that it didn’t matter what I already knew. I had to watch it unfold, and I hung on every new twist and turn. (For that matter, I’m still hanging on them. Furyborn is not a stand-alone by any stretch of the imagination. If you read it, you’ll need the next one, so be prepared for the wait.)

Eliana has a deeply engaging story of her own, and I love her relationship with her brother in particular. She’s strong, protective, practical, and a little bitter, thanks to the life she’s been saddled with. Both plot lines hold their own against each other, which is definitely saying something. I loved Eliana.

But I adored Rielle.

There’s a lot that remains to be revealed, and future books in the series promise to be just as exciting, just as full of action and mystery.

Bottom Line: A wild ride that definitely lives up to the hype. Mesmerizing, profound, epic!

– Erin’s pick.

This was a fascinating story idea of epic proportions. I would not say it had a plot twist as it was heavily forecast, but the premise was promising. Unfortunately, the steaminess and the sexual content of the book make it one that I can’t put on my classroom shelves nor can I recommend it to students generally. I’ll be able to recommend it to *certain students and with caveats, but that’s all. I’m sad, because it really is one I’d like to recommend otherwise.

4.5/5 Stars

Look! It's another highly anticipated title that actually lives up to the hype! I'm oh so pleased that my first ever Claire Legrand book delivered an epic fantasy with characters that leapt off the page and into my heart. Honestly Furyborn was such a fast-paced roller coaster of action and emotion and I was blown away by the depth of this world and the connection of characters.

Legrand drops the reader right into this vast, sweeping world of elemental magic, prophesied queens, and political intrigue without hesitation and it's not overwhelming in the slightest. The worldbuilding is fantastic; capturing two distinct time frames and bridging the gap between them. The magic itself is brilliantly visual and it would be excellent on screen. Plus I love books that begin chapters with in world snippets of history and found text. It always adds a little extra oomph to the story.

Leading the way in this character driven tale are Rielle Dardenne, a lady hiding powerful gifts from everyone especially those she cares for, and Eliana Ferracora, a bounty hunter for the Empire trying to protect her family. These two women grappled with some serious turmoil and I loved that they were able to express their emotions especially the anger. Supporting them were Audric; the soft prince of light, Simon; a brusque, grizzled mystery, Ludivine; a friend in all circumstances, and Remy; a storytelling brother.

I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed with Claire Legrand's writing chops after this. To take on such a behemoth of a series with so many inter-working parts, spanning millennia is no easy feat and so far she's pulled it off with style. This book is rich with detail as well as characters dripping with emotion and the pacing sucks the reader in right from the very beginning.

Furyborn by Claire Legrand was one heck of a start to a new fantasy series and I'm itching to fall deeper into this world. This book has truly got so much going for it in terms of character and plot and Rielle and Eliana's stories were incredibly compelling. While this may be a polarizing read for many, I highly recommend the fantasy lovers out there give this one a shot.

Fans of Sarah J. Mass’s A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES series will find much to love here—the love scenes do not fade to black. There are similarities to Leigh Bardugo’s SHADOW AND BONE as well. If you’re a fan of either of these series, you’ll enjoy FURYBORN.

Likability will challenge some readers—both leads have plenty of flaws, and neither are apologetic about it. Honestly, I found this refreshing. I’d rather follow a complex character who makes poor decisions and see if they end up redeeming themselves. Growth doesn’t happen without mistakes.

I did find the structure a bit frustrating at first—keeping track of both Eliana and Rielle’s storylines was difficult, so I read Rielle’s first, then Eliana’s. I found it much more satisfying, and was able to enjoy Eliana’s point-of-view much more than I had with alternating back and forth. Some will love this structure, others will hate it. I love multiple points of view, but the execution here was jarring at times.

I was very taken with how angels were handled in this novel—I look forward to seeing the mythology around them unfold.

Fallen angels and humans - great premise for a story full of intrigue, amazing powers and a unique look the complicated bonds of family and friends. With the story told from alternating viewpoints and time periods, the plot was very complex, and there were some mature thematic elements, so I would recommend the book for high school.. It took a couple of chapters to become fully involved and begin to understand what was going on, but the story is definitely worth the concentration needed to get into it!

Thank you for allowing us to review Furyborn by Claire Legrand. Unfortunately we did not select this title to be featured in our montly subscription and have gone with another choice for this month.

I wanted to like this book, I really did - the writing was bland, the characters were boring, and the book was LONG. Unfortunately, I don't have much more to say other than that, though. I wish it had been better, I truly do.

2.5 stars, rounded up. I feel so ambivalent about this book in every possible way. The premise was fascinating: two badass independent women kicking ass and taking names? Sign me up. Weird magic spread across centuries? Yep, I'm here for it. I wanted to love this book so much and yet so much of it fell flat for me. Even the ending was a letdown, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a reason to read the follow-up volumes.

Here are a few things that bothered me most:

1. When you market a book as having two amazing female protagonists, please have the goods to back that up. Both Rielle and Eliana were so 2D it hurt. Their defining characteristics weren't their strength, cunning, intelligence, or anything of the sort. Instead, it was their overwrought sexuality. I'm all about women embracing their sexuality and being unapologetic about their enjoyment of sex, but it was so center stage here that I was continuously rolling my eyes. The sex scene was so cringeworthy and reminded me of bad fanfic.

2. The lack of suspense throughout made trekking through the 500 pages of this book a bit of a chore. There was nothing to wonder about because the outcome was revealed in the first few pages and all the opportunities for twists or turns were either non-existent or totally ignored. I didn't get to the end of this book thinking, "Oh SHIT, I wasn't expecting THAT!" Instead, I was like, "Finally, I'm finished this damn book!" Never a good thing.

3. The implausibility of it all. I know this is YA fantasy so suspension of disbelief is a necessity and I'm totally down with it. However, the plot and points within it seemed so arbitrary and nonsensical that I was like, "??????" half the time. Legrand struggled to make me actually give a damn about what was happening and to whom because I didn't know why it was to begin with. It's like she just threw as many things at the page to see what would stick but then let it all stay anyway.

4. The world-building was a bit blah. All the details about the cities were so generic and blah that I was just like, you know what, whatever. Let's just get on with this so I can move onto something else.

That being said, I finished the damn thing, so I must not have hated it too much? I dunno, it's just always a disappointment to put so much time into a colossal book to get nothing in return, and that's how this was for me.

This book is amazing. The two strong female characters may be a thousand years apart but the back and forth storytelling ties them together without being repetitive or labor intensive to keep track. The descriptions are beautiful, although I will say a few moments were wordy, but it helped build the scenes and define the progression of the book. Both characters are also strong individuals so you can like and dislike them without feeling like Legrand is writing a stereotype for both heroines. It might not seem like much, but this book gave me the physical reaction of gasping and clutching my necklace. I was so absorbed by this that I will definitely be putting it forefront for my recommendations at my store.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is a title that I will gladly sell.

Trying to sum up this story is kinda hard because the blurb actually does a pretty good job on its own, however, I'll give it a shot. 

Rielle and Eliana are 2 kick-ass girls born centuries apart but both are fighting for the survival of not only themselves but their kingdoms and loved ones as well. I'm not going to lie reading this book was slow going but I did enjoy it, there are lots of twists and turns and trying to figure out how Rielle and Eliana are linked to one another was a challenge. 

I have to say that I preferred Eliana over Rielle most of the time, she gave me some serious Celaena Sardothien vibes so if you like Throne of Glass you'll probably enjoy this book. 

I'm keeping this review short and sweet today because I don't have anything else to say.

This was a difficult book for me to get through, though not for the writing. I think the story just didn't appeal to me. Each chapter shifts between Rielle and Eliana, two characters from two different time periods. You get to learn their stories at the same rate, two completely different stories, mind you. Rielle has magical powers while Eliana has rogue-like abilities wielding daggers. I felt like the entire Rielle timeline was very Hunger Games'ish (she has to go through some trials) and that was a definite put off, since I didn't like that book.

This is the second book in a row I've read that changed characters each chapter and I do have to say I'm not a fan of that style. I'm a very thorough reader and it makes it tough to get into the story when it keeps switching back and forth. Overall I think the story was probably written for an audience of women as there were a lot of romantic themes throughout - and even one explicit sex scene, which was definitely weird and unexpected.

I will not be reading further books in the series. I didn't really identify with any of the characters and by the end I really didn't care what happened - I just wanted to be finished. I am normally a fan of fantasy books but this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

I'm split right down the middle when it comes to my feelings on FURYBORN. Beyond the fact that I got stuck in a slump around the 30% mark, and how this feels really long even when I push aside the slump factor, I just.. don't know.

It opened with a pretty awesome first chapter and even though we know the 'ending' (sorta), the rest of the story is both the before, and way after, of that initial introduction. In some ways you'd think the time jump storyline would therefore be more interesting but.. nope, it sure wasn't. Of the two main lady POVs, I definitely preferred the one set in the 'past' timeline. Rielle is far from perfect and is making obvious mistakes along the way, mistakes we see laid out to their bloody final conclusion in that first chapter, but they don't feel completely her fault. A lot is beyond her control despite some of her subterfuge.

Eliana, on the other hand, I don't have anything good to say about. She's supposed to be some fierce assassin who does what she does because she has to but she's painfully hypocritical and judgmental, jumps to all sorts of conclusions, and has a devoted mystery man in the shape of Simon.. who was the only character in her storyline I cared for. Even if I have questions as to some of the mechanics of that devotion. The particular reveals and twists about her were both more than what I thought they would be, and also less, and yet I'm still left with a million questions -- hopefully to be answered in the sequel.

The <i>Empirium</i> series is a mix of a lot of things -- fantasy and elemental magic and higher beings and prophecy and a little bit of something I won't mention -- and maybe that's why the dialogue is at turns modern and also old timey..? I didn't love that, to be honest, because it's just trying to be a lot of too many things. Combined with protagonists who are supposed to be strong and somehow that translates into making them unlikeable.. well, I'm just hoping this is a duology instead of a trilogy so I don't have two <b>more</b> five hundred+ page books to sift through to get to the end.

I'm hopeful about what's to come but I'm going to temper my expectations a bit after the way this one went.