I can't believe I'm saying this, but this second book in the Empirium series was a lot better than the first! Kingsbane had no traces of the infamous "second-book syndrome" - when the first book in a trilogy's direct sequel is slow and serves as a kind of filler for the series' third and final novel.

I think I liked Kingsbane so much because there was so much character development and action, along with important events just like in the first book. Kingsbane even made me like Rielle as a character - I had an internal struggle while reading Furyborn with knowing from the first several chapters that Rielle ends up being the destined Blood Queen and not actually the Sun Queen. Rielle's interactions with Audric, Lusamine, and others were exciting to read because of how Rielle chooses to act around them. She seems morally ambiguous to me, which I'm starting to love in a main character.

Like in Furyborn, I did not enjoy Evelyn's chapters as much as Rielle's. I feel that Evelyn is a more bland character than Rielle, and the events that happen in her chapters weren't as interesting. Kingsbane does have chapters with other characters' points of view occasionally, like Simon, who I love to hate.

Kingsbane wasn't perfect; the series is so typically YA with its teenager drama. However, the amount of thought and world-building put into these books is impressive. The characters aren't even that likable sometimes, but they're really fleshed-out. I can't wait for the third book!

While this was a long book, I flew right through it! Action-packed doesn't even begin to describe this series. Every chapter practically ends on a cliffhanger, which kept me reading late into the night to see what happened next.

I love how this story jumps between past and present, following Rielle and Eliana. While one is discovering her powers, the other is slowly losing her mind. The juxtaposition of their two characters works so perfectly! And even though we know who the sun queen is and who the blood queen is, I'm still rooting for them both!

Lastly...SIMON! That is all. If you've read it, you know what I mean :) Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on the final installment to see how the story ends.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC!

LOVED Furyborn and was super hyped for Kingsbane, but it fell a bit flat for me. The pacing wasn't as good, and I didn't love Elliana in this one as much as the first.

The world-building is excellent, great unexpected plot twists, and the cliffhanger nearly killed me!

is with great excitement that I tell you all…

I FINISHED THIS BOOK!

Yes. The book that I just *had* to buy on release day — in MAY — and has since sat on my living room table. The book that I received and eARC for long before publication (Oh god, I’m awful). The book that is a sequel that was eagerly anticipated.

*hides face with so much shame*

Okay, let me first start by saying I did not hate this book. In fact, I quite enjoyed it. Not as much as the first one, but still–it was a good read. But have you ever just felt like there was some kind of block preventing you from starting a book? Because, yeah. Same.

Anyway…Kingsbane. The good: I really enjoyed the dual points of view of Rielle and Elaina. I don’t recall if there were other points of view in the first book or just the two, so having others this time around was quite a surprise! Speaking of Rielle and Elaina, they are two fantastic characters. I love the struggles that they face, especially internally. A+ there, Claire Legrand.

The bad: I…don’t remember the angel and saint dynamics being so dang confusing in the first book. Was this me? Should I have reread it before jumping into this one? It was only a year ago, so I figured I would be fine. But O-M-G. There were just times were I was like “Okay….can we get to the point here?” It’s a big. hulking. book (over 600 pages), and your girl was confused and lost more than once.

Also, again this could be me, but I felt like there were a few things hinted at repeatedly (ummm….Lu’s true nature, to name one) that were never explained. Which, I mean, I get it. Save some things for the finale. But, if you’re going to present a mystery like that in this book, I expect a resolution…in this book. Unless I missed it because I was speeding through some parts. It’s possible.

So, if at this point you’re like, “Soooo why did you like this?” that’s entirely understandable. And the answer is this: Because Claire Legrand keeps me on my toes. When I think I understand something, I can basically hear her laughing into her glass of wine/mug of tea/cup of coffee and going “LOL You thought!” Case in point: The last ONE HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES!!!

Ugh! So now I have a cliffhanger of epic proportions to last me until who knows when, and I’ll be suffering waiting for the answers to “What is happening to my precious babies?” and “Are you kidding me with that ending? Who gave you permission to do that?”

Such is the book lover’s life.

So. If you’ve read this series, I hope you jump in below in the comments so discussions can be had!

This review is based on a galley kindly provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks.
Ugh this review broke my heart. I loved Furyborn, but Kingsbane suffers from a severe need for heavier editing as the plot loses its way. The two formerly complex, empowering female leads succumb to “being in the strong arms of a man solves all my woes” syndrome. A quest in the far more interesting half of what is an unbalanced two lead POV story, seems to be regularly forgotten and added as an editorial side note. The overt sexuality seems forced, and almost all of the relationships become romantic as an awkward “Bi lead that whose one and only true love can only be male” plot unfolds. It felt like it aspired to the TOG series without the vivid, witty banter, story twists and action scenes. By the end there’s no character left for which to feel much of anything. Had it ended 80% of the way through, before the events of the altered reality began, there would be more to look forward to in the 3rd installment.

This follow-up to Furyborn, which I adored, has A LOT going on. And while most of it is great -- there is just too much. The characterization of Eliana and Rielle was again interesting and compelling -- these queens bring out the best of this series and can't find faults with their differing personalities. Legrand continues to put them in impossible situations and they make both the best and worst of those situations, which is refreshing in YA fantasy.

Still, the "evil" characters are not fully-fledged characters, and it being YA is not an excuse for this. Besides Rielle and Eliana, the characters seem to be in a contest of how demented they can end up. It was infuriating to go from the well developed queens to characters whose motives are not known or understood.

Still, as far as epic fantasy goes, this is a fast-paced journey that feels exhilarating and super sexy. Watching these women make their rights and mistakes is a privilege, and a journey I will continue.

It was incredibly difficult to get into this novel. I really enjoyed the first book but this one was not as good. The characters seemed flat and it was hard to connect with the plot.

I really appreciate the arc. Thank you!

I do not know where to begin with this title. I loved Furyborn and I love Kingsbane just as much. The first novel took us on a wonderful journey and so does Kingsbane. This time we can get explore new characters in a different light with them have their own POV chapters. I cannot dislike this title and I find myself sad that I have to wait for the third one. I would recommend this title to anyone that enjoys time travel, strong but faulted female leads, and that enjoy a journey that is different then what they typically read.

This is a tricky review to write. I loved Furyborn and many of the things I loved about it were continued here. And yet I was left with a vague sense of dissatisfaction at the end of Kingsbane – perhaps it was the cliffhanger ending? Of perhaps, and this is really unfair, I found Rielle’s arc as she descended into villainy a bit wearing due to having watched the Game of Thrones finale (and feeling that the latter did not allow enough space for Danaerys to become the mad queen). Legrand handles Rielle’s transition brilliantly but I found it less engaging nonetheless. Overall, however, I still really enjoyed this epic fantasy. The world building is fantastic, the mythology and creatures are great and the two timelines and povs enhance each other. Mild niggles aside, this was a really good book and I’m impatient for the next one.

I wanted to love this.I had owned Furyborn for a while and when I got approved for Kingsbane, I had to jump right in. Furyborn was long and I didn’t really like most of the characters. The ending was pretty good so I decided to try Kingsbane.

Kingsbane was more of the same. Super long and tedious. And again I disliked both of the main characters. They were cold and rude. They were awful to everyone who loved them. They claimed to love someone only to be kissing someone else on the next page. They were both very selfish in everything they did.
I made it to halfway and decided to give up.

Many will love this but it just wasn’t for me

It took me a long time to get this review done because when I got the Kingsbane ARC, I *stupidly* didn't realize it was a sequel to Furyborn. I had a lot of reading to do. I loved Furyborn and had a great time reading it, so getting into Kingsbane was a fun and easy transition for me. I really enjoyed Legrand. Because I didn't have to wait for however long everyone else did to get the sequel, there was not anticipation or disappointment in the character's progression that i've seen from other people online.

One thing I will say, if this book is truly marketed YA, I am in a similar questioning state as I am with the SJM books. Like, not on the same scale as SJM, but like... YA books and NA books are DIFFERENT. This felt way more like a NA book to me than a YA book. Rielle and Audric are growing into who they are.. like... all the characters are, so like... anyway. Digression over here.

Legrand's writing style, worldbuilding, characters, creatures- just. wow. I love this series. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment.

**Thanks to Netgalley for the freedownload in exchange for an honest review.

So disappointed.

I loved Furyborn (as in 5 stars level loved it), so I figured Kingsbane would be a can’t miss. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

Furyborn was a well-paced mix of action and palace intrigue, and thus I expected this to be more of the same. Instead, it was a clumsy, meandering slog of endless digressions and meaningless dialogue.

The magical system for the series wasn’t great to begin with, but it was tolerable in the first book because there was so much else to recommend the story. This time around, we spend seemingly interminable amounts of time bogged down in said dull magical system.

The characters also disappoint. Eliara and Rielle were never particularly sympathetic characters. Most of LeGrand’s characters aren’t, but her books usually delivery anyway via plot and writing. But sadly, those disappoint here too.

It seemed like LeGrand was going for flawed and complicated with where she took her protagonists in Kingsbane, but what actually precipitated was much closer to angsty and unlikable.

In all, this book felt bloated and mostly like filler, and I was bored.

LeGrand’s books are always excellent conceptually, but they often tank on execution. I had high hopes for this one because its predecessor in the series really delivered, but this was a dud.

I thought Furyborn broke me but Kingsbane actually shattered me. I have no words.
-
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But I need answers!

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me this free ebook in exchange for an honest review*

Here’s the thing. It’s really difficult to write reviews for books you love with all your heart. Why? Because all you want to do is scream about how amazing and awesome the books is and ohmygodohmygodohmygod you just HAVE to read it too!!! And it’s tricky to do that without accidentally spilling all the spoilers.

So here I am. A frustrated fangirl, flustered with excitement and struggling to talk to y’all about Kingsbane by Claire Legrand. But, true to my stubborn nature, I’m gonna try anyway.

Kingsbane…isn’t an “easy” book. In any sense. It’s not a light, fluffy fantasy about “good” heroes fighting for a just cause and defeating “evil,” mustache-twirling, obvious villains. No, Kingsbane is instead messy and complex, an intricate, scrambled tangle of morality, emotion, and humanity. And it’s beautiful.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR FURYBORN (BOOK #1 IN THE EMPIRIUM TRILOGY)

When we left off in Furyborn, both Rielle and Eliana were at crossroads. Kingsbane shows the crooked paths our two “heroines” (for lack of a better term) slowly begin to follow as those paths unfurl before the two them. The book illuminates the uneven growth and development of the two queens with care, showing each step forwards and backwards that Eliana and Rielle take on their respective journeys.

Eliana is in a new kingdom, attempting to gather allies and, more importantly, trying to learn how to harness her powers. But the battle isn’t far behind and she soon finds herself on the run again. This storyline unearths so many new facets of her character. She is no longer just an angry girl hellbent on keeping herself and her brother alive. Now we see a new side of Eliana—scared and hesitant, yet simultaneously fierce and determined. Legrand masterfully digs into each emotion Eliana feels, drawing a rich, deep portrait of the young queen.

Meanwhile, Rielle wants to attempt to fix the Gate, but in order to do so she must gather the castings of the saints. Unfortunately, Obex (the guardians of those castings) aren’t all sympathetic to Rielle and thus the castings aren’t always forthcoming. All of this while Corien’s darkly seductive pull echoes through Rielle’s mind as he attempts to coax her onto his side of the fight. Rielle’s journey is a dark one, filled with fear, desolation, lust, arrogance, and a deep hunger for power which grows stronger with every use of her magic. Rielle’s transformation across Kingsbane from a hurt, confused young woman to a power-hungry villain is in turns fascinating and aggravating (but in the best of ways). Legrand deftly handles this transformation, illuminating every heartbreaking facet of Rielle’s character, crafting the perfect picture of a broken young woman trying desperately to find her footing in a harsh world.

In a change from book one’s dual POV, we also saw minor chapters from the POVs of Ludivine, Simon, Corien, Harkan, and Audric, all of which were super intriguing and greatly enhanced the story! In particular, I loved the peeks we got into Ludivine’s and Corien’s minds—and the hints we got that they may not be exactly who they seem. I’d love to see more of them and to find out what they may be hiding in book three. Harkan’s and Audric’s perspectives where heartbreaking, of course, but also contributed to the book beautifully. The perspective that made me most intrigued at the prospect of hearing more in book three, however, was actually Simon’s, much to my surprise! At first, I was puzzled as to why we needed a POV chapter from him, but by the end of the book I completely understood why it was necessary and I’m dying to hear more from him (and, hopefully, to learn his secrets) in book three.

Outside of the characters, I loved the world and how much Legrand expanded it in Kingsbane! Both Rielle and Eliana are travelling around Avitas in this book and it was exciting to see all of the new places and cultures, and to meet new people! I especially want to learn more about the Deep, the Obex, and Queen Obritsa! Legrand really knows how to build a vast universe and play around with it in the ways that most enhance her plot.

Speaking of plot—aaaaaaaa ohmygodohmygodohmygod!!! So much happened and I have so many questions that I need the answers to!! Legrand totally took the plot to the next level and it left. me. dead! Who is the Prophet? What’s going on with Simon?? And what is Ludivine hiding??? Also—will we get to see other worlds???? Where are the angels from, like, originally, and what are they????? Adsfvuumndfttfklksgfsfsvfv it’s all too much!!! I can’t wait to find out what happens next cause the suspense is killing me!

So, in conclusion, Kingsbane wrecked me in the best of ways. It was an excellent expansion on book one and left me screaming for more. I’m chomping at the bit to get my hands on the third and final book of the trilogy and you have no idea how much it kills me that I’ll have to wait at least a year to do so. Claire Legrand already has my heart with this series, so I have no qualms about her taking my money too.

R A T I N G:
★★★★★

T E L L M E A L L A B O U T I T
- Have you read Kingsbane?
- If so, what are your thoughts on it?
- Also—do you have anything you hope will happen in book three? Any theories??

I was in love with the first book in this series so much that I couldn’t wait for the second one. I was surprised that NetGalley accepted my Wish to review it. This will be the last time I have such high hopes for a sequel. I found that this, along with many other series, suffered the second book curse. More than the first half of the book was extremely slow building. I mean extremely slow. Sure it had some chapters were ok but, not on the edge of your seat great. About 55% into it I had to move to the audiobook. I couldn’t continue reading it. About 80% of the book that is when it became edge of your seat good. But, it certainly didn’t match up to the first at all. I only hope that the third will be a whole lot better. I’m going to give this 3 1/2 stars simply for the last 20% of the book, otherwise I would give it 2 1/2-3. With the first book being 5 stars for me, that’s saying a lot. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to continue reading and reviewing this series. Hopefully, I get the last one as well when it’s ready.

This book was not for me, a little to much like all the other royal fantasy type book that are so popular right now. The writing was good but the story to similar to others.

Actual Rating: DNF
Recommend: Probably not
Review:

Oh baby, I wish I could have loved you, because you're cover is oh so pretty. Alas, after struggling for over a month, not caring one itty-bitty-bit about any of the characters, and barely making it to 100 pages, I couldn't convince myself to finish this book and had to DNF.
Honestly, I appreciate that the book features some strong women and LGBTQ relationships, along with an interesting idea, but it was just...boring. I don't know. I wasn't amazed by anything and the formatting gets me since we know how some things happen already.
However, I did rate Furyborn 3 stars, so going into this one I knew there was a chance I would not love it. Very rarely do I not like the first book and pick up the sequel, and end up loving it.
Truly, this book wasn't for me. It took me over a month of struggling to barely make it to 100 pages, and still, I didn't care about anything going on or anyone.

I requested this copy not realizing it’s the second in a series...but I was able to read and very thoroughly, enjoy this story! I really, really liked this book enough to go and add the first to my to be read pile. Thanks for the chance to read such an amazing book!

Furyborn was such a good book and the sequel did not disappoint. Kingsbane had everything: drama, intrigue, fantasy and romance and I can't wait to see how the series continues.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this sequel. The first in the series was strong, and while usually the second books in a series feels like the furthering of dark plots, Kingsbane was as rich or even richer in character depth than the first. I was looking for next book's publication date before I even finished this one. The characters are real and living in my head and I really want to know what happens next.