Furyborn was a perfect example of a read that is indulgent and just plain fun. I worried it might be a tough act to follow, but absolutely not. Claire did an amazing job.

I want to call it a guilty pleasure, but I hate the connotations of that. I am not guilty of reading this story, which is why I choose the word indulgent. I love that the story is angsty and a bit melodramatic. I love the shifting alliances and the layers of feelings. The romance kills me. The allure of power is perfect for my Slytherin heart.

In Kingsbane the whole crew is back and the emotions are high. Stakes are even higher. Part of the best tension within the story is knowing what happens to Rielle but not know how. I love this anticipated tension. It's almost better than a big surprise reveal. We know from the first pages of Furyborn where the end of her story is and the path to it is the biggest source of emotional turmoil. I loved going along on the ride. The tension. The woe. The power of choice and actions creating ripples is really explored here.

Eliana is also going through an acceptance of who she is and who she isn't. I love seeing her go through these transformations and seeing how the characters around her influence it. I don't want to get into too much for spoils but it's good stuff.

The ending left my soul torn apart and so excited for the resolution of it all.

I'd recommend the series for fans of SJ Maas and those who like angsty vampires. It's got the same vibes and the same undertones of power and scale.

I was not as pleased with Kingsbane as I was with Furyborn. Let's start with the good:

1) Rielle: We all know she's set up for an incredibly deep fall from grace. She needs to journey from sweet Sun Queen to vicious Blood Queen, and the reader knows this. It is interesting to watch her lie to herself about how gracious and forgiving she is, that she is not one to be feared, while at the same time demanding that everyone fear her. She is the absolute worst character, ever. The worst! She is such a garbage person. BUT, this is a GOOD thing, in my opinion, because we are told from the get go in Furyborn that she is the bad guy. The more our hatred of her grows, the better a job Legrand is doing with Rielle.

2) Eliana: Watching her grow into her power and find a way to accept herself and her place in the world was my favorite part of the book. I much preferred Eliana's chapters to Rielle's, if only that I already know where Rielle is headed so I'd like to focus on Eliana's journey.

3) Simon: If you aren't swooning, you're not reading this book properly.

Now the bad...

1) Tal: He is her father figure when her father was such a crap version to begin with. And his entire personality changed in this novel. I was confused and really disappointed in his behavior because it was conflicting with book 1.

2) Ludivine: Again, personality change and serious conflict, but also, some of that change is not thoroughly explained and left me feeling confused as to what to believe about her true mindset.

3) So. Much. Gratuitous. Sex. I don't mind sex in a book. I don't mind detailed sex in a book. But I felt like there were a lot of times that it was just thrown in there because Legrand couldn't think of anything else to do. Also, there was a scene where a certain someone slept with a certain someone else that they barely knew, and then nothing came of it. Their paths rarely crossed again, and there was no impact or meaning, but hey, they had sex!

Very often in a trilogy, book 2 lacks so much because it's only a set up for the grand finale, and I am hoping this is what happened here.

This book .. man .. this book. I fell in love with the epic fantasy that was Furyborn and Kingsbane does. not. disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book and could not put it down. I am already itching for #3!

This squeal completely blew me away.

I loved Furyborn, the first book in Legrand's new series, when I reviewed it last year. It was new and fresh and unexpected. The storytelling in Kingsbane continues this and yet carries a certain level of confidence and fluidity that only comes with writing in a world that's already been well established. Dark, surprising, sexy, honest, and so much more, Kingsbane is my favorite book yet by this author.

I loved this book. It was a privilege to have it as my first read for 2019. I can't wait to share my thoughts on it with my followers.