Furyborn follows the stories of two women in different periods of time and how their stories connect to form an ancient prophecy about the fate of their world. I loved this book. I think stories like this that bounce between characters from different time periods are always so fascinating to read for me, The pacing was really intense too. Every time I reached the end of a chapter, I had to keep going to find out what would happen next, especially because each chapter alternated between stories. I was so attached to what was going on both with Rielle and with Eliana so I wanted to know more from both of them. I really love that we start with the day that Rielle gives birth and sends her daughter away to protect her and then we go back with her story and watch some of the progression of how she ended up at that point. I'm glad that Eliana learned the truth of where she came from and was relatively accepting of the truth rather than having that be a long drawn out plot point because she is going to have a lot to deal with in whatever comes next for her story. I can't wait to read the next one and see what happens next!

Received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

The first book in a fresh, young adult trilogy follows a time slip point of view of two characters, one in the past and one in the present. In a unique fantasy novel, two strong independent women must find out who they are and how they got into a complicated world around them.
Perfect for readers of Victoria Aveyard and Sarah J Maas, Furyborn weaves magic and romance in both connecting storylines. While some connections were predictable, the way the author presented them and tied them together were remarkably brilliant.
There are hints of adult theming that may turn off readers but they are so nondescriptive that they do not detract from the storyline.

Two young women linked by blood and fated to change their world. Both face impossible trials and impossible choices.

"Furyborn" is a YA fantasy that does not disappoint! We begin by seeing the world through the eyes of a child, Simon, where he sees his father taking care of the evil queen who has just given birth. She uses the last of her energy to fight the angel Corien and send her newly born daughter away with Simon. Simon and his father are marques, and while he tries to follow the threads to where he wants to go while holding onto the infant, he loses her in his travels. The rest of the book is told in alternating points-of-view between Rielle (the queen who gave birth before she became such) and Eliana, an assassin for the corrupt empire approximately 1000 years later.

The reader bounces back and forth between the two in each chapter, which can sometimes be disorienting- like reading two books at the same time (especially when the chapter has a cliffhanger). We follow Rielle as she endures magical trials meant to test her restraint and abilities- and to find out whether she was the foretold Sun Queen who could save the world (the prophecy: "The angels will return and bring ruin to the world. You will know this time by the rise of two human Queens- one of blood, and one of light. One with the power to save the world. One with the power to destroy it. Two Queens will ride. They will carry the power of the Seven. They will carry your fate in their hands."). We follow Eliana as she journeys to save her mother who was taken by unknown forces and her brother, who she wishes to get out of the Empire's reach.

In this world, angels are often powerful but cruel beings who are at war with humans (although some are good). People have the powers of the elements that they can conjure (one power per person typically, e.g. power over water), and the abilities vary with the amount of power they have. Rielle has a power over all the elements (the seven possible abilities) and she has so much that she is barely able to control it. In Eliana's time, these powers are a thing of the past and seen as myths of the past.

Overall, it was a really fascinating book, and I definitely want to continue with the series- as soon as possible! I do wish we had spent more time with one of the two women, as I felt that it was a little difficult to get truly entrenched in their lives/loves. However, I still really enjoyed it overall!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley (though I have also purchased/preordered my own copy). All opinions are my own.

A missing princess. A fierce female assassin. A world stripped of its magic with an evil emperor and possessed soldiers. Sound a little familiar?

But even with all its similarities, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable read. The story switches POV from Rielle, who discovers that her unique powers means she’s one of two prophesied queens: the Sun Queen or the Blood Queen. Flash forward to years and years later, and we meet Eliana – famed assassin – who finds herself on a mission that challenges her entire way of thinking.

I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but the prologue was actually my favorite part of the book. It sets up the rest of the story SO well and creates a high level of tension and mystery that kept me reading. Without it, I don’t think I would have been so invested in the story.

All in all, I enjoyed Rielle’s chapters much more (mainly because Eliana’s just felt so familiar). Rielle also felt much more balanced as a character although both are strong, badass women. Eliana just felt a little like she was trying too hard – waffling back and forth between cruel and compassionate like a rubber band.

The world building also needed a little more work. In itself, the premise is intriguing. Sorcerer’s who can control different elements is nothing really new, but they’re also at war with the angels (a force that’s usually portrayed as good). Why are they at war? Not really sure. It’s one of the many things that needed a bit more explanation (maybe instead of one of the multiple fight scenes).

One last thing… This book is being hyped up as a fantasy with bi-representation. I honestly don’t understand why. There were maybe two passing comments, and if I hadn’t been looking, I would have missed them.

Overall, it was an enjoyable but average read. If it wasn’t for the prologue, I would have ranked it lower, and it’s the one thing that has me holding out for book 2.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book.
Even though we were thrown into 3 different time periods within the prologue and first 2 chapters, which was a little disorienting, I was hooked from the very beginning. There were so many things I desperately wanted to know from the first page about what happened in the thousand years between Rielle and Eliana's stories, as well as their current stories.
At first, I really disliked Eliana. I just wanted her to become who I hoped she would become and she just kept being a little jerk. But that's who she was and I'm glad her personality wasn't easily swayed now that I've finished the book. I was much more invested in Rielle's story at the beginning. It was much more exciting to me. There were so many things we already knew that Eliana didn't (who Simon was, that Rielle is the blood queen and that she dies) that Rielle's story pulled me in so much more because we were finding out how all those things happened.
About halfway through I got more invested in Eliana's story because she started to turn herself around and the things happening in that story were more exciting. I found all the trials Rielle went through a little repetitive, even though they were important. Then, about 3/4 of the way through, I got pulled right back into Rielle's story because of certain things we had found out in Eliana's story that started to bring everything together.
I loved the relationship between Rielle, Audric and Ludevine. I also loved the relationship between Eliana and Remy and then the forming relationship between Eliana and Navi. They were all so believable.
The only things that knocked this down half a star for me were that at the beginning, it was hard for me to remember what happened in which story and to switch between a thousand years every chapter. I would be thinking some small detail happened in one story, but it happened in the other. It was helpful that the stories only intertwined a small amount and that there was an entire different cast of characters in each story. It just took me a while to get my brain in the habit of switching POVs I think.
The other thing was that there were quotes or excerpts at the beginning of every chapter and I felt like it was something important or something that foreshadowed something in the coming chapter, but I could never remember it long enough to figure out if it did or not. I still am not sure if the beginning part of every chapter was important, or if it was just another thing to link the stories together, or show a different perspective.
Something I really liked was that not all the questions I had at the beginning of the book were answered. I thought that everything would be resolved in this book and there would be a whole new set of problems in the second book, because that's how a lot of books are. Literally nothing got resolved in the book and only a few questions got answered, but it didn't feel unfinished. It had a satisfying ending with questions leading into more questions for the second book. Speaking of the second book, is it out yet?

This book was brilliant, and it hit like a sucker-punch to the chest. It was evocative and painfully REAL, and gut-wrenchingly sad but so so good! I devoured this book and read it in a day.

If you like epic fantasy reads- this book is for you. In fact, if you like to read- this book is for you! I highly recommend! Two thumbs up!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book. I will happily recommend it to all who ask for a great read.

If you liked Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series, you will probably love the first book of the new Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand. The story bounces between two main characters: Rielle and Eliana. At first there’s no real connection between the two characters, which makes the story a bit hard to get into; however, as the world and the characters are fleshed out it adds an element of depth.

There are familiar elements of other teen novels of this genre: people wielding magical and/or elemental powers, romance, oppression, and strong female characters. However, the author blends these elements into a new universe with unique twists and conflicts that leave you wishing the rest of the series was complete.

One hundred pages in, this began to stall, and I stalled with it. Probably will return at some point to continue, but would warn readers it's a lot slower than you expect.

I am beyond grateful to @sourcebooksfire for giving me the opportunity to read and review this AMAZING book! Without a doubt the Empirium Trilogy is going to take to fantasy world by storm and become a modern classic! You MUST READ THIS if you loved, Throne of Glass, Grishaverse and/or Three Dark Crowns. It's totally different but fans of this book will love this!😍😍😍

We're taken on a journey in parallel times, many many years apart with two extremely powerful, endearing and complex females that hold the power to either destroy or save their worlds. You will be in for a roller coaster of action, emotion, twists and fantastical world building!

It is a beautifully paced book that is just as ruthless and it is touching. Legrand has completely blown me away and I'm in love with the world, the creatures, the characters, the lore, the religion even the history of this world! Nothing is left untouched and everything is masterfully explored and shown to you.

I loved this e-arc so much as soon as I finished I pre-ordered the hard copy! Which brings me to their marketing! The pre-order campaign for Furyborn is AMAZING! If you pre-order you get a signed book plate and book mark, you can also get a STUNNING map of the Empirium world and potentially get the GORGEOUS Limited Edition character cards! I am so hoping I get lucky with these cause I NEEEED them! I'm telling you! This is going to blow up and become the next huge series so get your Limited Edition gear while you can! All pre-orders also go in the running to win a signed and fully annotated arc of the book.

You can also do a quiz to determine if you are the Blood Queen (destroyer) or Sun Queen (Savior) via their website empiriumtrilogy.com. I'm a Sun Queen in case anyone is wondering 👌🌞

TLDR: GET THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK. IF YOU LOVE EPIC FANTASY WITH STRONG FEMALES YOU WILL LOVE THIS💞

When I first began reading this, it took me awhile to really get into the story. I had loved the cover, the title, and the plot, but I felt lost up until about chapter six, more or less. Another part that prevented me from completely diving into the story was that with the two POVs this book divides itself between, I felt bored with one of them. That being said, I powered through and eventually became more invested in both characters, especially as the plot really began to take off and more details fell into place. A great aspect of this novel is that all of the female characters always felt strong and independent, and all of the characters felt fully fleshed out; there was never a character I would confuse with another because they were all so different from each other. While one story arc held more interest for me than the other, the more the story arcs melded together, the better the story became. This novel is chockfull of magic, action, strength, and pain that will eventually drag you to the edge of your seat and leave you dying for the sequel.

Utterly page turner. From the world-building to the nuances of the characters, FURYBORN was able to hold me tight. Upon turning the last page and my mind filled with revelations and magic, I keep wishing that there's more. More. Moooore. Legrand is a rising fantasy author no one should miss; her debut is not (only) for fans of other authors because this book IS AMAZING ON ITS OWN.

At the first sentence I got excited. The first chapter made me jump online and see what other books that the author had written. Chapter two onward was..... more difficult. I struggled a bit with the differing pov's/ timelines. It took a bit of effort to persevere, but I'm glad that I did.
It's written in two time periods with two different narrators. I found it difficult with the twin narratives, knowing that the beginning of one narrative (the future one) was the literal end of the other. It was also difficult following the past narrative, knowing who she was going to become, and what she was going to do. And how she was going to end. I guess it was as if you cut Star Wars so that you were watching Luke and Anakin at the same time. I really really wanted it to all be okay. Spoiler, it won't be.
I also struggled a bit with the morally grey, kind of almost unlikable characters. I know that they are big in fantasy at the moment. The success of Sarah J Maas is all you need to know. It's harder for me to connect to them though.

A clever book, with a healthy attitude towards it's characters sexuality (No slut-shaming! Yay!). It won't be my favourite, but it will definitely find an audience.
And, yes, I will be reading more.

Holy hell, where do I begin with this one? Furyborn has been on my TBR for a while, but when I able to get my hands on a copy, it kept taunting me from my bookshelf. I have a pretty structured TBR, but I couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to read it ASAP. 

And I'm so glad that I did. I stayed up every night until 1am to read roughly 100 pages, and stayed up even later to finish the last bit. I was so hooked into this book, and now I'm sad that the next book won't be out for a while. I guess that just gives me an opportunity to reread it. 

The Plot
I can't remember the last time I got sucked into a book about angels, let alone a fantasy about angels. I love books dealing with evil, narcissistic angels. I just love the idea of taking the traditional view of them and turning it upside down. But to be quite honest, I can't recall ever reading a fantasy about angels (with the exception of maybe Daughter of Smoke and Bone.) I'm so used to them being in urban paranormal books. But then again, I'm sure I have and I just cant recall. 

I really enjoyed the fact that this book was told from the perspective of two characters. It is quite a hefty book at almost 500 pages, and having the two points of view made the book feel like I was reading two stories. I appreciated this because it allowed the story to avoid that middle-of-the-book drag that can sometimes happen when you have long books. Every moment felt important, and in no way did I feel like the book ever dragged or felt too slow. 

What truly amazed me about this book was the way that the timelines themselves were written. You alternated each timeline every time a new chapter arrived. What was brilliant and fantastic was the fact that each timeline revealed something about the other timeline. You'd hear a tidbit of info from Elianna's pov, only to have it reveal something in Rielle's pov. It was this twisty, never ending path that had me utterly and completely hooked. I was just amazed at how plot twists were revealed, and sometimes I thought I had things figured out, and it would turn out that I was completely wrong-in the best of ways! 

The Characters
Each character in Furyborn had so many layers. I kept thinking that maybe I had them figured out, or I could figure out their fates. But each time a layer was revealed, my opinion on them changed completely. These characters were so complex and multi-faceted, especially when it came to Rielle and Elianna. It was also interesting to see how the story progressed as Rielle and Elianna developed and changed. It truly made a rich story. 

Let the Waiting Begin
The downside with reading a book so early before publication, is the fact that I have to wait even longer for the sequel to come out. The end of Furyborn left me wanting so much more. I felt like there was so much left to explore, and that can only mean that the sequel will deliver something even more explosive. But it is what it is!

What an original fantasy centered around strong female characters! The plot is intricate and the characters are original, believable and multifaceted. I truly enjoyed reading this book. The plot moved quickly and I didn’t know how the story was going to progress. Very enjoyable read. I can’t wait for the next one to come out!

This book was written from two POVs and the two protagonists live hundreds of years apart. Although the fantasy element means there are some crossover characters in the series. What is great about this is that the two protagonists' stories are in some ways intertwined, but the more modern setting doesn't Give away the outcome of the earlier.

The two characters are Rielle, and Eliana; a queen and a bounty hunter respectively. I liked that their stories were told simultaneously rather than from a flashback perspective as it meant we were able to get to know both characters equally.

I also liked that the stories me whilst both had action, were quite different in nature. Rielle's status meant her battle was for her, to prove to all that she is the Sun Queen; significant to all the empire. Eliana's was also significant to the empire, but was as part of a larger rebel group.

Initially, due to the jumping between characters it was easy to sometimes mix up who was telling what, but once you got into the storylines it was easy enough to distinguish.

I really enjoyed the fantasy element too; initially I was a little confused with what was going on, but the development was so great as the story went on it was like being transported between two whole new worlds. The idea itself is super original and the descriptions were perfect in allowing the reader to develop a picture in their mind's eye.

The balance between plot detail and action was perfect, keeping the reader engaged and attentive. In one story or another, there was always something happening! The two stories running in such different times, yet so similar in format - neither out-shadowed the other and the pace and plot were perfectly balanced. When the storylines begin to emerge, it is clear they are both destined for something more than they every imagined; as they fight in a cosmic war that has lasted a millennia.

Overall I'm awarding this book 4.5*/5. I'm so intrigued as to what happens next - I need the next book now! It had great character development of both primary and secondary characters, and not only that, but left enough mystery around them to continue unraveling their back stories continually. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, as it was captivating and well paced.

DNF. I really looked forward to reading this one, but I just couldn't do it. The story wasn't that engaging to me and considering there are SO MANY YA books out there right now in this style (long, extensive in depth fantasy details), it really didn't feel like anything too different or special.

This story features two young women separated in time but related through a prophecy that will affect their entire world. It starts with a good girl (Rielle) wanting to prove herself by going against the rules and showing her magical powers while the other (Eliana) is a heartless killer. We see the good turning bad while the opposite happens for the killer.

Once you go over the format of one chapter-one girl, you get into it pretty easily and it is hard to put the book down.. I mostly wanted to read about Eliana and her change of heart, Rielle’s parts about her tests were kind of long and predictable. I would recommand this book to fantasy lovers.

Fast-paced and full-on fantasy I felt a bit mixed about. The style is young adult with it's overly emotive angsty slightly irritating characters, but I felt the content veered more on the adult side. Not a problem for most or me personally but some feel strongly about such things.

One of the characters reminded me of the main one from 'Throne of Glass' and not in a good way... I don't mind a nasty main character with no morals but only if they own it and don't moan about it and judge others weirdly. I preferred the other character Rielle but found her story slower as it bogged down in the middle with all her magic trials. Some of the secondary characters were well done and interesting, perhaps I would have preferred it if there'd been some point-of-view chapters from them, although that may have overcomplicated it more. I quite liked the mythology and scope of the world building, though it was a little confusing at times and could have been more developed.

Overall I liked it and plan to read the next one.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

This novel will publish May 22, 2018. It is a fantasy novel.

Angels are not to be trusted. They have been banished behind a great gate. The gate cannot hold; eventually they will escape. Legend has it that two queens will emerge--one of blood to destroy and one of light to save the people from the angels..

Rielle, Audric, and Ludivine have all grown up together, knowing that Audric and Ludivine will marry to bring families together and strengthen the kingdom. All of that is in the future. They happily enjoy each other’s company until everything changes in moments. Rielle has been closely watched by her father and her tutor, Tal, to keep her powers under control. If she loses control, she can destroy. The problem is that Rielle is a bit headstrong and would like more freedom. One fateful day, Rielle and Audric decide to masquerade as riders in a race. When spies infiltrate the race, Rielle’s powers are discovered. Is she the sun queen legend has foretold?

Eliana lives 1000 years after Queen Rielle. The legend has become merely stories by this time although some still believe, including Eliana’s brother, Remy, who collects the stories. Eliana kills to survive and hides any guilt--only Remy knows her secrets and suspects her guilt. When women begin to be taken in the night, Eliana determines to find what is happening with help from her best friend, Harkan. During her investigation, Eliana life changes when she joins the group she has worked against and discovers what’s truly going on.

As this is book one, the novel ends with a cliffhanger. I could not put this book down. The chapters alternate between Rielle and Eliana. Their lives are so different, but in both, the common people are in need of help from the strong. Good isn’t always light and evil isn’t always dark--nothing can be assumed to represent the stereotype, but I will say the evil ones are truly evil. Enjoy!