This story has all the elements of a great YA fantasy novel, a prince, a wolf, magic and two queens who are BADASS! There is love, sex, romance and friendship and I loved it!

Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo will love this addition to the YA fantasy scene --- FURYBORN takes what is well-loved about the genre -- the political intrigue, the rag-tag crew, the righteous mission and impending chaos -- and mixes it with modern elements of feminism, and dark and deliberate sensuality in a way that seems flawless and endlessly fun.
FURYBORN is a tale told between thousands of years. It is a tale of two women, both strong-willed and decisive women with their own agency. Claire Legrand begins FURYBORN in blood and chaos: Blood Queen Rielle gives birth to her daughter just in time to hide her away from Corien, a danger to both her and the world as she knows it. As the story continues, the chapter switch from Rielle and her journey to becoming the much-feared Blood Queen, and that of another strong woman, Eliana. Eliana is known as the “Dread of Orline”, and makes her living as a high-ranking bounty hunter for the Emperor. Switching between the past and the present, Legrand is masterful in creating a pace that keeps the viewer tied to both women’s stories, even as they begin to intertwine. Aside from the never-ending suspense and chaos of both women’s worlds, there is also quite a bit of desire and wanting, and the relationships both Rielle and Eliana form with others throughout the book are interesting and unique. For those looking for LGBTQIA+ representation, you will find it in both Rielle and Eliana, who make their bisexuality a point of much of their romantic endeavors. More than that, Rielle and Eliana are more than their sexuality -- a much appreciated perspective in the world of YA fantasy. As a pansexual, the casual way in which sexuality is handled throughout FURYBORN made for a more interesting and inclusive story -- I never felt like it was added for representation alone, or explained away in a nice and neat bow. It is complicated and I loved and appreciated that.
Overall, FURYBORN is a read-alike for any reader that has loved Celaena Sardothien’s early exploits as an assassin in the Throne of Glass series, as well as the legion of those that have loved the Darkling throughout the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. There is a definite dark desire between Queen Rielle and her angel companion, Corien, that is worth reading the book alone. For those looking for fantasy full of decisive female agency, look no further than FURYBORN. I cannot wait for the next book!

Let me start by saying that I love the cover of this book. Whoever handles the cover art for Sourcebooks Fire always knows what they're doing.

Furyborn starts off strong and I was hooked on the prologue, dying to find out what happened next. I mean a queen who is hated by her people for killing her husband giving birth to her child then the healer that's helping her is possessed by an evil angel dude and jumps off the balcony to his death? The queen giving her newborn to the healer's son so he can take her to safety just before she's killed in a showdown with the evil angel dude? The possibility that the child and newborn won't make it to safety? Tell me more!

But the story doesn't go that way. It's told in dual perspectives between Rielle (the future queen in the prologue) and Eliana - who is 1000 years in the future. It goes back to two years before the events of the prologue then jumps to Eliana's part of the story. Independently maybe I could have enjoyed Rielle and Eliana's respective stories. Maybe this series could have been made a generational saga or something where the first book was devoted to Rielle and the events leading up to the prologue and then the next book could pick up with Eliana - the child of Rielle who made it 1000 years into the future; but with their stories together this book lost me.

I liked the premise of Rielle and Eliana being badass female characters but their personalities missed the mark for me and I found them hard to like, although I liked Rielle slightly better than Eliana. Plus, for a YA their attention focused on sex a lot - which for me being nearly 26 didn't bother me but it should be labeled for older teens maybe?

Overall this is not a book for me. The story dragged at times and I found myself wondering why I was torturing myself trying to force myself to read it. 500 pages felt a lot more like 1000 by the time I was done.

I think Claire Legrand's Furyborn is going to be one of the biggest YA fantasy books of the summer. It's full of magic, strong-willed young women, and nearly impossible challenges for each of them to overcome. The two main characters are connected to each other (and no spoilers!), but each of them live over a thousand years apart. For me, the idea behind this series is exciting, but I found that the execution of it is a little overwhelming. Connecting two characters across a span of a thousand years brings together two completely different stories told in alternating chapters.

Legend has it that two queens will possess extraordinary power. The Blood Queen will bring catastrophe and destruction to her reign; the Sun Queen will bring light and and salvation to her reign. Rielle, the prophesied powerful queen of a thousand years ago, is merely a legend to the bounty hunter Eliana. However, Eliana knows that she possesses extraordinary powers and struggles to keep her powers a secret from everyone else.

The things I loved most about this and hope will be explored more in the future books are the magic system and the history of what happened between Rielle and Eliana. I thought the initial world-building of the magic system and country engaging; I just wanted more! Rielle and Eliana are fairly well-developed, though sometimes I felt that their voices sounded too similar and had to remember which chapter I was reading (but considering their connection, I shouldn't have been so thrown off by this!). The secondary characters really added to this story. I loved Simon and Ludivine the most, and loved the twists and connections they brought to the story.

Overall, this is an ambitious fantasy novel that will appeal to fans of Sarah J. Maas and Erika Johansen! I gave it four stars for the pacing and the scope, but it's almost a little too much. I think maybe this could have worked better if two books of the trilogy focused each Rielle and Eliana separately and the final book bringing their stories together, because this novel felt like a very long and divided set-up for the rest of the series.

This book has a lot to offer. A strong start where the reader is given preconceived notions about who the evil Queen Rielle is, only to have them quickly questioned as we are introduced to a younger Rielle, one who loves the man she will later kill, who is sweet, energetic, idealistic and naive and far from evil and we follow her story to find out how she got from the sweet girl to the evil Queen. Then we have Eliana, a girl who fights for the empire but joins up with the rebels for a dangerous mission and follow Eliana as she discovers what she is and the fact that magic truly isn't gone from the world.

I must say, I enjoyed Rielle's story much more than Eliana's. While I wanted to root for Eliana, I couldn't figure if she was a bad guy who was learning the error of her ways and reforming upon meeting the rebels, or maybe a good girl at heart who got trapped in a bad situation in order to help her family. Her backstory felt shaky, which made her actions, interactions, and relationships seem mildly contrived at times and I felt that the only thing I could be certain about her was that she would kill for her little brother. However, even with that negative, I did enjoy the story and look forward to the sequels

This book is by far one of the best releases of 2018. It took me awhile to get addicted to the book. I was fully addicted about 20% in the book. The dual perspectives/time periods is just amazing. The perspective of Rielle will reveal something about Elaina’s world and the other way around. It keeps the book super exciting and keeps you on your toes. Don’t even get me started on the romance. I love it!! Simon is amazing and I cannot wait to find out more about their relationship. It is just such a unique and different book. It still keeps the whole kingdom/kings and Queens YA readers love but the author puts her own spin on it. The whole religion is fascinating. I could keep going on and on about this book. I am typing all of this after the high of finishing it. Anyway, it is beyond amazing. It will be one of my favorites forever. I cannot wait for the next.

Furyborn grabbed me from the first page and kept me eagerly turning the pages. I loved the world build,omg and will definitely be following up with other books in the series. Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy

This book is magical- it's the perfect mix of high fantasy, epic tale, mythology and rom com/bff movie that definitely leaves you wanting more! I'm usually not a fan of books with alternating timelines, but this one was easy to follow and brilliantly wove in the mythology and cast. Highly recommend and cannot wait for books two and three.

***5 EPIC STARS***

***Full review includes character cards by Kate Trish

PLOT

I was initially drawn to Furyborn when I heard it features two queens 1,000 years apart that are somehow connected…curious about the format of writing & just how exactly the author pulls it off, I knew I had to pick this one up. As fate would have it, I was asked to join a buddy read & thought to myself ahhh well this is just Kismet! It’s been 2 weeks since I finished this book & I can’t get it out of my head, it was that awesome! my review/rating is based on my enjoyment of the story, characters, and world-building. Were there some flaws? sure. Will I be continuing on with this trilogy? ABSOFRIGGINLUTELY! <3

Told in multiple POVS’ we get introduced to both Queen Rielle & Eliana as they live out what has been prophesied without their knowledge. In what has to be one of the BEST Prologues I’ve ever read, we get a blast from Rielle’s past as her journey comes to an end (not a spoiler, Rielle lived 1,000 years ago & Eliana is present day) & also serves as the jumping board for many theories.

Before Rielle became Queen, she lived with her father who served the royal family. Rielle is very powerful & her abilities are a source of great concern for her father who keeps her indoors as much as possible. With the help of Tal a Firebrand (I kid you not this guy gives off Hunger Games Haymitch vibes later on in the book ), Rielle trains to control her abilities. However, Rielle isn't one to be controlled & has taken a interest in horse races on the low (not betting on them, she full out has a alias as a rider). It's actually something she shares in common with the crown Prince Audric & during one of their races, Rielle thwarts an attempt to kill Prince Audric led by men in disguise. In doing so, Rielle exposes her abilities to wield more than one elemental magic. In a land filled with Windsingers, Earth Shakers, Firebrands, Metal Masters, & Sun Spinners...those who posses magic in their blood can only wield one type. However, there is a prophecy the people of Celdaria know well...

"Two Queens will rise. They will carry the power of the seven. They will carry your fate in their hands. Two Queens will rise"

Rielle's exposure brings focus to the prophecy which also speaks of the return of humankind's #1 enemy, the angels. Angels have been kept away from mankind ever since the Gate was built to keep them out. Although it is just a prophecy, the kingdom is forced to take it seriously & so Rielle must go through the Seven Trials. These trials are designed by the heads of each elemental magic & the purpose is to see whether Rielle is the prophesied Sun Queen (or Blood Queen)...

Via alternating chapters. 1,000 years in the future we follow Eliana aka the "Dread Of Orline" who is really just trying to keep herself & her family alive. Eliana works for the Emperor by finding & bringing back anyone who is against him, especially any rebels from Red Crown. Skilled with her weapons Arabeth, Whistler, Tempest, Nox, and Tuora there really is no stopping her. She has fully flipped the switch on her humanity by capturing innocents in exchange for a safe home & coin to eat. Eliana's present day world is one without magic, the time & seven trials of Queen Rielle are just fairy tales. This all changes when her mother is kidnapped and her whole world is turned upside down. Her hunt for those who abducted her mother along with many of the young females in the area, place her on a crash course with Rebel Captain Simon. Nothing is as it seems in the Empire & Simon carries many pieces of the puzzle...

CHARACTERS

Rielle Dardenne & Eliana Ferracora are the main protagonists in this dual POV story & although their stories take place 1,000 years apart, their lives run parallel pulling off the whole "fates aligned" vibe really well. Both Rielle & Eliana are rebels at ♥️ & they both are also able to manipulate the seven elements. It took some warming up to Eliana but I soon realized it was all a part of her character's personal growth. Since I spoke so much of these two in my 411 portion up above, this section will focus more on the MOST amazing side characters you're going to want to meet...

Remy Ferracora aka Eliana's little brother who loves to bake & read books was after my <3! he loves Fantasy & everyone he comes across is drawn to him like honey...I LOVE REMY! :)

“What is this child, who knows so much of the world?” Her expression turned tender. “Oh, sweet one. You are a dreamer, a teller of tales. I see that now. You ache for magic, and for all those golden giants of the past.” Remy flushed with pleasure. “Before the invasion,” he said eagerly, “people stole books from the temples, so they wouldn’t be destroyed. I buy them whenever I can and read them all.”

Audric the Lightbringer aka Rielle's love interest aka the Crown Prince but it wasn't always this way. Audric, Rielle, and Ludivine have been friends since they were children and have such a beautiful realtionship that at times gave me Polyamory vibes #jussayin Audric also happens to be a Sun Spinner and can wield the power of the sun with his sword Illuminor.

Ludivine aka Lu is BFF's with Rielle & she also happens to be Audric's cousin/betrothed...yea as we all know, the royal families loved to keep it all in the family. Lu comes from a noble family with a great army that would be beneficial for the Kingdom. I LOVE Lu! she's everything a BFF should be <3

Simon half angel/half human is shrouded in secrecy & adamant on making sure he has his eye on Eliana at all times. Simon has been through a lot & he didn't ask for any of it! he is broken & I want nothing more than to see him get his happy ending *FINGERS CROSSED*

Corien I'm still unsure how I feel about this character, he's pretty angry & manipulative. I can only assume we'll get to know his intentions in the next book & I am hella curious!

Navi aka the Princess of Astavar & genuinely one of those people who radiates goodness. Simon is on a mission to get Navi back to her kingdom which to date has remained free from the Emperor's rule. Navi LOVES her people & they in turn love her! she embraces Eliana & treats her like a sister.

Zahra aka The Wraith!!!! <3 <3 <3 I only know of one other wraith I LOVE to pieces & ever since Inej walked out of my life, there's been this hole! *SOBS* Whelp, she's not Inej but Zahra is just as awesome! she's a protector through & through making sure the refugees that have escaped the clutches of the Emperor are safe. There were some theories on Zahra's true identity in our buddy read & I'm stoked to see more of her!

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

Thoughts I have a plenty! In Furyborn we get two EPIC MC's and their seperate yet forever linked stories. Fast paced with never a dull moment, it was easy to follow the 1,000 year jump between each chapter. The world is so well fleshed out that the stark differences in the land & it's people is sobering when you're in Eliana's timeline. A ton has happened since Rielle's rule & magic has been done away with by order of the Emperor. As I was reading, I found myself really enjoying Rielle's chapters & that was probably my love of everything magical at work but I also got invested in the movement taking place in present time. These characters are heavily flawed & morally ambiguous with tons of growth along the way. We get our dose of hot & steamy sexual tension but perhaps what really got me handing out an applause was the discussion of contraceptives! we don't get enough of this let alone in a Fantasy book Both MC's are Bi-sexual, they express interest in the same sex & are attracted to other women. Neither of them is romantically paired off with the same sex & yet that doesn't take away from their sexuality. I found myself really appreciating the subtle messages Legrand weaved into Furyborn. If you're looking for a Feminist kick a** Fantasy with characters you won't forget, this is one you're not going to want to miss! <3 <3 <3

*Quotes taken from ARC provided by the publisher may be subject to change by publication date

BUDDY READ WITH THESE AMAZING BOOKWORMS:
MELANIE
AMY
JULIE
JULES
ALEXIS
DESTINY
LOURDES

*HUGE thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Claire Legrand for the early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

4.5 stars.

High fantasy meets epic adventure, with a side of feel-good buddy comedy thrown in.

Having read way too much urban fantasy of late, it was a delight and, in a way, almost a relief to delve into Legrand's sweeping high fantasy novel, Furyborn.

There's nothing truly new here thematically, but Legrand puts a fresh spin on common fantasy tropes, masterfully balancing palace intrigue with action. In Rielle and Eliana, the author has given us two complex, deeply flawed but exceptionally likable heroines, and has twined their stories together beautifully, despite the fact that they take place (sort of) more than 1,000 years apart.

I was initially skeptical of the basis for the story's magic and its villains (angels are one of my least favorite fantasy creatures), but Legrand has crafted them into formidable and delightfully awful villains in a way that suits the story perfectly.

Solid world building, outstanding character depth, and far better pacing than you find in most high fantasy or neo-high fantasy.

The closest comparison I can draw is to the first two books in the Throne of Glass series (which has since jumped the proverbial shark but at the outset, was incredibly good). Eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Wow!! I didn't want it to end...I'm already craving the sequel and this hasn't even been published yet! The writing, the plot twists, the characters....all were stunning and so fun to read. It reminded me of my feelings while reading anything by Sarah J. Maas. Get ready! This is going to be an amazing series.

Loved this book!! Telling stories in two different timelines with a cast of characters (and two leads) is a difficult task to undertake, but Ms. Legrand does so brilliantly! I was turning the pages and loved how the author interwove the twist. Honestly, I can't tell which of the protagonists I liked best. I will definitely be reading future novels in this series.

Yes! This first book in a new YA fantasy trilogy was so good you'll want to devour it in one sitting!
Great world building, wonderfully crafted characters, and rich with action and suspense that will make your heart jump, this tale of two queens- one light and one dark- their connection, and their prophecy will pull you in and leave you yearning for more.

Mini review:

I received this E-Arc via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My ‘Wish’ was granted.

DNF

I was highly anticipating this book! A friend of mine had given it a positive review and it sounded so good! Unfortunately it wasn’t good.

The prologue was fantastic! There was murder and general excitement. While yes pretty much everything was spoiled I didn’t mind it. It gave me a reason to continue. It went downhill from there.

Both women annoyed me. I felt that the point of view shifts weren’t really done that well. It came to a point where I was just skimming to see what would happen next. That only lasted so lasted for awhile, then I just lost interest. Eliana read just like Aelin from Throne of Glass.

I only liked Remy, Eliana’s mother, and Harkan. While Rielle was more bearable to read about, she also became boring.

Overall this was an utter disappointment. I do not recommend.

Sadly I never finished this book. I read almost thirty pages and decided to shelve it until a later time. I never picked it up again. I just got lost in how the plotline ran. It's seems like a good book but the writing was hard for me to understand.

A mother and daughter are separated by 1000 years each with their own thrilling adventurous story to tell. Each chapter alternates back and forth to Rielle (mother) and Eliana (daughter). I really did enjoy this novel and I found it very fast-paced. Rielle must endure seven magical trials to prove she is the sun queen and Eliana is on the run trying to find her adoptive mother. I found Legrand's world-building a tad confusing and hard to follow at times. Sadly for me, this novel lacked the epic-ness of a Sarah Maas novel however, I am still intrigued and invested enough to continue with this trilogy. 3.5 stars!
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

2.5 stars, because I liked it, but it wasn't awesome and actually it had several issues from my point of view.

Plot and Thoughts

The beginning is pretty gripping. It starts with a bang (you have almost no idea what the heck is going on), and makes you want to devour the entire book in one go...then it time travels and I swear the book appears to sllloooowww ddddooowwwnn ttttiiimmmeee.

Rielle is perhaps one of the more annoying characters I've read about. She is so whining and self-centered!!! You either like her...or you don't. I didn't so it made me find about half this book exhausting to read, which is probably why it is getting such a low score. Your first introduction to her has her whining about how daddy drugs her and locks her in the cellar every time a storm rolls in in order to keep her powers under control (she has all the powers). At first you're disgusted and then you see his side of things.

Why does he do this? Cause the girl has zero control. Yes she hasn't been allowed to use her powers, but that doesn't mean she can't keep them under wraps! She has no control of her emotions and guess what reacts to her emotions...her powers. Yeah. Control yourself girl and don't whine when they make you recite prayers to calm you down. And maybe don't abuse animals. That was a major, and rather graphic, piss off. Also, she is the ultimate special snowflake...we'll get into why a bit later.*

Reading Rielle's story line felt pretty repetitive as she moves through trail after trail to become the Sun Queen, which we know she succeeded in doing because, Prologue.

Eliana is much more my style, or rather she started out more my style... and she doesn't abuse animals. Eliana is the Dread of Orline, an infamous assassin. We first meet her on a job, where she gets distracted temporarily, then gets back on track killing an entire family, including the children if memory serves. I don't think you are supposed to like her very much, but I kinda did. There were some things, however, I really didn't like about her. Namely, her use of sex to get what she wants.

I get that she is supposed to be a morally grey character, but her use of her womanly wiles to obtain the upper hand and/or trick someone was a bit grating. Also, just because she's slept with women does not necessarily make her bi. Bisexuals are attracted to members of both sex. So just because you slept with a girl does not make you bi.

She could also stand to not get all angsty half the time. Be cold-hearted and awesome like you promised Eliana!!!! I'm saying this because I like you as a character.

Plot-wise...well it started great with the Prologue that was essentially an Epilogue. It's not often you get the end of the story first and then want to read to see how you got there (I had a friend who always read the last chapter first, this one would have totally been her jam). In the beginning there was such promise.

Then it starts to lag and you feel like you are reading two separate books. Rielle’s story turns into a mind-numbing series of dull trials we obviously know she’ll complete because she is the queen in the prologue. Eliana goes off running from one place to another on a mission that seems to have no real consequential end goal for her as a character.

*This is the later!!!! So my understanding of the magic system is that users require something called a 'cast' in order to use their powers. Magic powers are based on an elemental system, sorta like Avatar (sorry Aang!!). Rielle is special because she doesn't need a 'cast' and she can control ALL of the elements. No idea what a cast is to be quite honest. I either glossed over that bit somehow or it was not well explained, so that qualifies as issue. HOW DOES IT WORK AND WHAT MAKES IT WORK???

The world building...let's be honest, it's lacking. Why are angels at war with humans? Why are angels (usually known as the 'good guys') the bad guys? Where did this power that can fight back against to angels come from? What are the angels powers aside from telepathy and controlling humans? How are the humans trapped by the angels? Where did the flying horses come from? Why can they now be whistled for and they'll magically come like a dog? Exactly how did nephelims come to be? Wraiths, eh? What exactly IS the emporium? Are powers common? Is it like other magical kingdoms where it is a genetic trait inherited from the person's parents? Does it just 'magically' select people (see what I did there? Funny, right??


In Conclusion

Good premise, not so great execution. Great potential, not fully used. Promises you a war between angels and humans, political intrigue, time travel, character-driven plot, and lots of action. But unfortunately what you get is a somewhat stagnate story-line that could have been a lot shorter.

Love Claire Legrand! I've read multiple books by her and each one gets better and better! Furyborn and Winterspell are probably my favorites! Furyborn will keep you intrigued! The plot was phenomenal! The writing skills are brilliant as she does an amazing job of world building! I really loved how unique this story was and cant wait to read more by her! Also I need book 2 in this trilogy like yesterday as I'm dying to know what happens next! This is a definite one click read! This story grabbed me from page one and I could NOT put it down. Claire is such a talented writer and has such a unique voice! 5 stars from me

FURYBORN by Claire Legrand is definitely an intense whirlwind of angels and bloodshed and magic. I was totally enthralled with this take on angels, and how deeply wicked they could be, plus the epic heroines who were unapologetically powerful in their personalities and abilities were AMAZING to read about. However I felt the book was a bit disjointed, like there were so many subplots crammed in that the main story had no room to breathe. And it was long. Very long.

Both stories are set 1000 years apart, something I also wasn't a fan of because I felt I just read two separate books. They stories barely related, and any relation they did have was spoiled in the blurb anyway. Plus the book had a thing for "spoiling" itself, but beginning with a scene telling us what Rielle would do and how she would turn out. As a reader, I didn't find it intriguing to know how the story got there...I found it took away the magic of "what's going to happen".

I did love the magic though, the intensity of it, and how the book explored the emotions and feelings one has while being powerful. Rielle craved the darkness but hated that she loved it. Eliana was in denial that she was even powerful in that way. The contrast but similarity was great.

I also really loved the secondary characters, with Remy and Simon and Navi being some of my favourites. Remy, with his storytelling and character development from hating to fiercely loving his older sister, totally stole my heart! I struggled more with Rielle's secondary characters as Adraic just seemed shallow and Rielle's burning passion for him was a bit over the top for me.

I definitely found the length exhausting though and wish it hadn't lagged so much over the trials. There were SO many of them and they just went on forever.

But overall it's exciting to see powerful women in fantasy, and less sexism to push them towards their goals. The book was full of politics and intrigue, hidden prophecies and cruelty, and dark powerful angels lurking in the background. I was totally in love with the premise and the title!