I was so hyped for this book, and it didn't disappoint! This book was a great way to kick off the summer, and the Summer Library Program!

**I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
**And since this is an ARC my feedback could change by the time the book is finalized on publication**

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire books for letting me review this book!! ^_^

Before Thoughts:
So we have two ladies who are destined to be queens of the legends in this world. And they have many difficult trials to face when proving their roles. Well sign me up for this and let's see what happens shall we?! ^_^

Review: <b>DNF @ 11%</b>
Read on:06/05/18
To be Published on:05/22/18

Plot:
We have a prophecy about 2 queens, the Blood Queen and the Sun Queen. Rielle immediately from the prologue has been labeled as the Blood Queen who has just had a child that I would assume is to become the Sun Queen. And we have a plot where one character doesn't probably even know that they are royal. 

You have elemental powers, 2 different races and a hybrid race whose powers are a force to be reckoned with. And those 2 races are angels and humans. Those 2 races are at war constantly...I guess?!

And the book is seen as something similar to Throne of Glass and I have to agree so far. 

But I'd say this is a bit worse because while Throne of Glass was lengthy and lacked action it's characters and POVs seemed a bit better developed. 

This book has two POVs that are 1000 years aparts, lack of character development, lack of plot development, and too much action. 

It's hard to follow what's going on.

Character(s):
Rielle: 
The blood queen who is not redeemable no matter how beautiful her character looks and not redeemable because her actions are awful. But really I just see a whiny child who wants to be seen as badass and beautiful for a character who was destined for greatness. (She messed up his life and her own.) 
She couldn't be less marysue if she tried. 

Eliana:
The Dread of Orline. Destined to be the sun queen. Is a "badass" and "does" or "doesn't" care about the civilians who are be kidnapped unless they're someone close to her. She's also a marysue...haha what a surprise!! *eye roll*

Final Thoughts:
I had this book shelved since Sept 2017. 
And I kept entering the giveaway in hopes of winning since it was a "must-read," but sad to say it was a letdown. 

The characters were bland, the plot was almost non-existant, the world-building wasn't well done, and the POVs didn't feel very different from each other. 

I expected more from a book that had been so hyped up by others. 

Recommends to:
I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you're willing to be letdown or unless you're okay with cliched tropes. 

Hope you enjoyed my Review!! Thanks for Reading!! ^_^ 
And go catch that good book!! ^_^

I was so, so, so excited for this book. The beginning draws you in SO QUICKLY that you don't want to put it down. 

However, I found the plot to be a little lacking. What started as exciting sort of fell flat and I was left wondering what happened to this book that had so much promise.

I was really disappointed in the representation of the bi character(s?) in this book. I didn't feel like there was any chemistry, it just felt like their mission was to be together, and the promiscuity doesn't really read well when the world is fighting the stereotype that bisexual people are undecided and just want to feed their pleasure. I just think it could have been handled better. 

It was a great effort, and I think if Legend had tried to do less with this book and focused more on the world building or the relationships it would have hit a stronger note with me, but I was left unimpressed.

Furyborn is a tough one for me to review.  Reading this reminded me very much of when I read Sarah J. Maa's Throne of Glass a few years ago; I had very high expectations because it was so beloved and was left disappointed.  My disappointment was further fuelled by the fact that I really enjoyed Claire Legrand's middle grade novel, Some Kind of Happiness, so I was excited to read something else by this author.  

The biggest problem for me was that I didn't care about, or even like, either of the main characters.  I also found that there was almost too many action sequences (I found myself skimming big sections of this novel while trying to find the actual plot) and the romance was a bit cringe worthy (the sex scenes did not work for me nor were they particular sexy, just somewhat confusing to find in a teen novel).

Furyborn is not a bad novel; in fact, I found that it picked up considerably for the last quarter of the book.  However, for a 500 page novel, I needed to be more interested way earlier in the story (I actually considered not finishing this but decided to stick with it to see if it improved / if my hunches were correct.  They were.).  I found a lot of similarities between this and Throne of Glass so I think that Sarah J. Maas fans will probably really enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed the two main characters. They seemed very real, with their unique traits and flaws, and the world building was nicely done. I also really liked how it switched back and forth between the two main characters and felt like it was done seamlessly.

Do you ever wonder how an author could have an entire fantasy world tucked away in the crevices of her mind?  Well, Claire Legrand has definitely created a complex magical world with demons, monsters, angels, and humans.  Furyborn is the making of an intricate story where there are two queens, Rielle the Blood Queen, and Eliana the Sun Queen.  Both women are connected yet their lives span over a thousand years.  Furyborn tells the story of both of them in alternating chapters as they learn of their powers, past, and their potential to save and destroy the people they love.  I liked how the chapters are short and full of action and adventure causing me to move quickly through the 500 page book. Of course the ending hints to more of these two captivating woman to come, and I am definitely looking forward to reading them.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy.

This fantastic, fast-paced fantasy will leave readers waiting on the edge of their seats for a sequel.  Both of the strong, smart female protagonists are well-rounded and the story is intriguing.  Hand this book to fans of Marie Lu and Cinda Williams Chima.  It will not disappoint.

*I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.* 

4.5 stars. Wow. Where do I even start with this book? All I know is that it's been a while since a book has rocked my world like this one, and it doesn't come from one of my favorite and trusted authors. This book has been one of the most anticipated of 2018 and it definitely lived up to the hype. 

The book follows two different stories, set a thousand years apart. One focuses on Rielle, who lives in a time of magic and angels and the other focuses on Eliana, who lives in a time when magic and angels are essentially fairytales and myths. The book itself jumps back and forth between each story in each chapter (one chapter about Rielle, the next about Eliana). From the moment you start the book, you're thrown into the action. It's like watching an action scene in a movie and having no context as to what's going on. I personally loved that element of it. The further along the story went the more you found out about the world and the characters. I can see why Legrand chose to build the world this way, because the world and these characters are so closely tied together. Could it have been a little more fleshed out at the beginning? Yes, but I also have no doubt that we'll continue to learn more in the rest of the trilogy. 

Now about the characters. You kind of get an idea of the end of one characters story at the beginning, but it continues to make more sense as the story progresses. I love that she did that, but it also makes things more heartbreaking as the story continues. Who doesn't love getting their book heart broken? 
Rielle's story is set a thousand years before Eliana's and hers is full of longing, love and friendship. I really loved how Legrand is telling the story of Rielle, you automatically empathize with her story. At the end of the day she's just someone who wants to be loved. Eliana on the other hand was much more difficult for me to connect with. She's an assassin in her "modern day" and is known throughout the city as the Dread of Orline. She thinks of herself as invincible and pretty quickly finds out she's not. She's cold-hearted and difficult to love, but does so in order to protect herself. I wanted more character development from her, but I think it's safe to say that that will continue in the rest of the books. There are some important side characters as well, and I'm looking forward to seeing those stories develop as well. I felt like no character was wasted and each chapter kept me at the edge of my seat wanting to learn more about them. 

I couldn't put this book down and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I can't wait to see where Legrand takes this story and series! I think I just found a new favorite author to add to my list.

I struggled to finish this. I had to keep reading this in between other books this weekend and finally finished this Sunday morning around 5 a.m. At that point, I was hell-bent on finishing this thing. I don't have a lot to say except skip over this book. It's not the worst book I read this year, but good grief towards the end I kept saying to myself who cares. 

When I requested this book from NetGalley, I thought the synopsis of this book sounded so good. Two young women, one thousand years apart from each other, hold powers that will either save the world or see its destruction. One of the young women is either the queen of light and salvation, or the queen of blood and destruction, otherwise known as the Sun Queen and the Blood Queen respectively.

The two women are known as Rielle Dardenne and Eliana Ferracora. 

In Rielle's story-line she has to deal with seven trials (always seven isn't it) in order to test her. Eliana's story-line a thousand years later shows her as a bounty hunter and assassin. 

I honestly didn't feel either way about Rielle or Eliana. I usually end up liking at least one POV more than the other when authors write their stories this way. This time, I was meh on both of them. I really wish that Legrand had split this book (yeah this is me who always complains when an author writes trilogies) since it made better sense than cramming two plot-lines with different characters into book #1. If she had, I think the characters would have been more developed. Even though this book is over 500 pages long, I didn't feel like Rielle or Eliana were that developed. You just have things happening to them and they react to it. 

Also a word of warning, don't start off the book showing how one of the characters is alive and then we jump back in time to show them going through some stuff. There is no tension then to me as a reader when I am supposed to care if they live or die. You already spoiled me on that. 

The love interests (I guess we can call them that) in this book sucked. Rielle's love interests are Audric and Corien (by the way, I had to go back and look up these people's names while writing this review, that just lets you know how little I cared about them). I don't want to have spoilers in this review, but let us just say one of these people wasn't even a real love interest. I just didn't care and wanted to kick something after a while. Also I hate love triangles. 

Eliana's love interest was Simon. Hard shrug about this dude. There was zero chemistry. I don't even get why YA novels always have to have a love interest. There is enough going on with both young women's story-lines that Legrand could have just had women and men there with no romantic entanglements. 

The writing was okay, I thought the world-building was lacking. I don't want to post spoilers, but I went huh a couple of times while reading. The flow was bad throughout this whole thing too. FYI, this is why it took me almost a week to finish this thing. Books should not put me to sleep, this one did a few times. 

One word of warning, I know this is marked as young adult, but this book has sex scenes. Which seems to be a new thing in young adult books. To me that alone would push this to the new adult genre. I only say this in case any parents out there were thinking about getting this for their teens. I would say ages 12 and up would be a good audience for this book. Back to the sex scenes, no thank you please. I don't know what was going on there. 

The book limps to an ending. Since this is already titled book #1, you can imagine a second and possibly third book happening.

Superb read, well written with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish, this book is so hard to put down! The cover got my attention first but this story is amazing and the world building is phenomenal. This adventure has romance, magic, drama and there are twists and turns. Can not wait to read the next book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

The thing about fantasy, science fiction and any genre really is that they can go across different media and virtually keep the same story. Yeah, you can play a fantasy game and like the controls, but still see all the flaws with the story and stay for the combat system. You could watch the same movie on the screen and stay enthralled because your favorite actor landed the lead role and he just nails every scene, putting an extra punch into the story that you thought was kinda dry on its own. Even when you don't read enough of the genre, you're exposed to it in a number of way, so when you pick up Furyborn, you can see what she's trying to change and how much remains the same.

Elemental magic is the easiest to write about when it comes to fantasy. It usually comes down to the character wanting to do a thing. The elements willing to do the thing. Then the thing is done. Yay. The problem is making it your own and making it interesting. I know. I know. Throwing fireballs and shooting lightning out of your ass is always going to be cool, but what makes it amazing is how people put a spin on it. How will you make this yours? sure you could say nothing original, but look at how things can be combines and twisted just a little to make it special. There's twenty six letter int he English alphabet, yet last time I checked the dictionary looked pretty big.

This book's spin on it is the fact that elements have to work through an item for it to work. It could've been great to delve into that, but the main character who does the magic lives in a mix of the catholic church and the avatar series and guess who the avatar is? Rielle, the main character. So there's a magic system that the character doesn't care about since she can produce all of the elements from her own body at any time. 

I get that it was made to show how special she is and that the world really does look at her differently, but come on. Things are interesting because the character has to try and while Rielle does take some hits, she was born with the ultimate power. Even Aang from avatar got his ass whooped from time to time. Anakin was the chosen one in star wars and he's known as a tragedy because of how he became Darth Vader in the end. A walking testament to how he was lead astray by multiple forces at work and his own mindset.

And man, is Rielle hard to read about. Not just because she has this amazing power, but because of the way that her story is told. The prologue basically tells us what happens to her. While interesting to read, it was like peeking at the outline then trying to be surprised by the rest of her story. It wasn't all bad though. Yeah, she dreams of getting into the pants of the main love interests who's engaged to her best friend. The one thing I did like about her was the one mistake she made that cost her someone special and honestly, I felt for her. To keep having your mistakes time and time again brought up and thrown at your face is hard and it did add a sense of pain to her that she needed.

The other character is named Eliana and I've read a bunch of complaints about her. Yeah, she's the badass one who kills people for an evil empire and regrets it, but what I did like was that her character progression wasn't instant. She didn't see one atrocity and go, "Lets rebel, save lives, banish evil and make free health care for all." It took time for her to change. She was used to the atrocities going on and learned to look the other way. Hell, she caused some of them herself. I liked her for a time, but then she descends into the super obvious love triangle because hot people have to be hot together or they can't be hot anymore. It's the universal theory of hotness. Don't look it up. I'm right.

By the end, I learned more about the lore from the back of the book than I did from the actual story. And that's where I'm the most disappointed because the premise of this book lived off of that fact. Since these characters were a thousand years apart, we could of gotten so many different perspectives and saw how the world changed. But it's barely brought up. We get little snippets chapters apart and well, that's it.

As for the worst parts of the setting...

In Eliana's time:
The empire is an empire and anyone who's ever been exposed to some sort of fantasy knows that an empire is where they salt their beef with the dreams of dead babies and where the nobles drink the hopes and dreams of the common people before going to bed.

In Rielle's time:
The government somehow thinks that putting her through trials that to prove her strength--as if she wasn't the strongest girl int he first place--will prove if she's the queen of blood who'll bring ruin or the queen of light and goodness who'll not do that and be not a dick. Either way, how do trials by way of combat show which side you're on? Won't you kick ass no matter what you are?

I doubt I'll read the sequel

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

First book in the Empirium series

4 stars

“Tell her she is stronger than any flame that burns.”

Furyborn is an interesting fantasy. It’s quite unlike most fantasies when it comes to storytelling. You see what makes this story so fascinating is that in the opening prologue we learn that Rielle, one of our main characters, has murdered her husband (the prince of Celdaria) and is the cause of chaos and corruption. In this opening chapter, a little boy named Simon witnesses his father die at the hands of the angels that Rielle has collaborated with and released from the Gates that bound them. Simon is a marque, which means he is half-human and half-angel. He is able to travel through space using deep magic and Rielle is tasking him with brining her newborn daughter to a safer place. It’s a pretty epic opening chapter. What makes this novel stand out is that we see Rielle transform into the guise of the Sun Queen as when we as readers know that she is the Blood Queen who will bring destruction and death to the land. Rielle is forced to undergone seven trials to prove that she is the Sun Queen and that she has the right to be canonized. In an alternating timeline, we follow Eliana who is known under the moniker of the Dread of Orline. She is a fierce assassin who lies to herself that killing doesn’t bother, but it weighs heavy on her conscience. Eliana finds herself caught up in an elaborate plot with the Wolf, a brutal man who is as feared as she, as they make an unlikely alliance to deliver a princess and find Eliana’s missing mother.


I think it’s pretty obvious that Eliana’s storyline isn’t the most interesting of the two and it is hinders this novel. However, towards the end the importance of Eliana’s story is revealed and it makes the overall novel much more enjoyable. At the start of my reading experience with Furyborn, I was salty (for lack of a better word) that I was being thrust between two very opposing views and one being an obviously weaker storyline. However, Rielle’s story is so amazing that it outshines the negatives of Eliana’s and the seamless connection of the thousand-year timeline is remarkable. I’m impressed with Legrand’s conceptualization of these two periods and their very different outcomes. Legrand’s writing style isn’t the most beautiful, but it is addictive and the story conclusively makes a ton of sense and shows how brilliantly planned it was. I’m really impressed with Legrand and I wanted to be snooty and hate this novel, but I can’t. It has a lot of good points. It’s not perfect, but it really won me over in the end.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 4

There are two main female characters: Rielle and Eliana. Rielle is my favorite PoV and character. Knowing the outcome of her antagonistic future makes seeing her go through friendships, love, cruelty, and politic battles so much more interesting. She has a quiet bloodlust and it seems a little unlikely that she would become who we see her become in the opening chapter, but I’m so excited to find out what drives her to murdering Audric the way it was described. It also makes me wonder if she and her actions are misunderstood. I loved her progression through the trials and in the end, I was really excited about where her character is going. Eliana is kind of stale. I say this because I have a strong dislike for anyone who manipulates other people for their personal gain and safety without looking at the bigger picture and the damage it could potentially cause. I suspect I have a conflicting personality with her, which is probably why I don’t like her, but also, she made so many bad choices throughout this novel. The last couple chapters felt like a completely different character and I was conflicted about if I was beginning to like her or if it was a trick. Hopefully, she doesn’t stay self-centered forever.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: Rielle-5 Eliana-3

There are two main love interests. There is Audric, the prince of Celdaria, who has been best friends with Rielle since they were small and the Wolf, who is a protector of Eliana, much to her dismay. I really both of these guys. Audric is sweet and he is your typical prince, but he is seemingly lovable and has a good heart. Wolf is great. My jaw hit the ground when we found out who he was. I knew, but I didn’t see how and then it made sense. Good stuff. Neither of them is particularly swoon worthy, but I like both of them well enough and they both provide some spark. Also, Rielle and Audric have some steamy sex scenes, so this is definitely mature YA.


Swoon Worthy Scale: Audric-3.5 Wolf-3.5

The Villain- We know early on that Rielle becomes a villain, but we also know that Corien, an angel, is a mastermind behind a lot of what goes down. Man is a skeevy and I want Rielle to shake him but knowing she won’t makes me sad.


Villain Scale: 3.25

There are so many characters in this novel. The ones I really liked were Lu(divine), Remy, and Navi. Lu was my absolute favorite she was comedy gold and the ending! Y’all, I was shocked and my jaw dropped. Legrand had me surprised. I didn’t see that coming! Remy is Eliana’s brother and he loves to tell stories about Celadria and the time of magic. He is obviously a wonder that must be protected. Navi is a princess that Eliana and Wolf are bringing back home and I liked her, but she wasn’t my favorite. She’s still worth mentioning though.


Character Scale: 4.5

Overall, I’m completely surprised with how much I enjoyed Furyborn because I thought I was going to lowkey hate it. Legrand has definitely made me want to continue with the series. Although I must confess I would be okay with completely ignoring Eliana and just focusing on Rielle’s storyline because where it left off was a shocker. Click spoiler if you want to read a sentence that is technically a spoiler, but will rip your heart out, “No one can be sure of Audric the Lightbringer’s last words, but in the days before the Fall, whispers traveled fast across the world. His last words, the whispers said, were for his murderer: ‘I love you, Rielle.’” So, I’m slightly deceased by that storyline in general, but looking forward to reading the series just so I can see this scene through Rielle’s own eyes. I definitely recommend this to fans of fantasy who are looking for a grittier and more mature storyline.


Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: It’s not really a new cover or an original concept, but it’s nice on the eyes.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a book. This story is a wild ride and I loved every minute of it. If you love high fantasy and super complex characters, pick this up!

To express first and foremost a thank you to Netgalley whose advanced reader copy I completed yesterday on kindle. In Furyborn written by Claire Legrand, introduces its reader to the world of Celdaria, and in this world, are there angels, beings of magic and those who have the capacity to save or destroy the world they know and love. A prophecy is decreed throughout the land that two queens will rise: the Sun Queen, who will save the world, and the Blood Queen, who will destroy it.  The story is told around two young women named Rielle Dardenne, and Eliana Ferracora. As  we follow Rielle we see her journey in forging towards her destiny and accept her role as Queen of Celdaria. When Eliana is introduced a thousand years has passed and Rielles’ experience has been turned into a fairy tale. Unexpected events occur where Elliana’s mother is taken, and Elliana is on a quest to find her. The story then progresses to include their journey in this land, and the choices made to become the Queen they were meant to be. The novels first 80 pages for me were hard to get through as I felt there was not a lot of mythology and world-building as I would have liked. Something I enjoyed was its characterization of its lead characters. As the chapters progressed so did these characters. Slowly the story was brought together and the characters full and embodied individuals. I enjoyed this book and gave it three out of five stars. I am looking forward to its sequel.

DNF @38%

I’m throwing in the towel on FURYBORN after trying to read for over two weeks and not getting very far. Sometimes I don’t rate a DNF but I feel strongly about this one, so I’m giving myself licence for rating.

My difficulties with the book were two-fold. Firstly, the differing POVs that were centuries apart and seemingly tenuously connected for too long. That impeded my connection with the story, giving it a fractured feel. Secondly, there was far too much keeping the reader in the dark. Examples are: names and powers for beings not explained; I felt permanently in the dark. I’m a fan of show not tell, but some telling really was warranted here. The writing style was difficult to assimilate.

I tried to push on but I was just not invested and this book/series isn’t for me.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

When I saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. The description grabbed me & it sounded like a book that I would fall in love with. Once I finally found time to read the book it grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, I wound out of time to physically read the book so I ended up buying the audiobook. When I first listened to the narrator's voice I was hesitant but by the end I loved it. Fiona Hardingham (Narrator)just added a little bit more to the story. I was so glad that I switched to audiobook that I think it added a half star to my rating. 

My rating would be a 4.5 but since I cannot do a half star I'm going to round up to 5. The plot was fascinating and I loved all of the characters that I read. This book was jam packed with action, swoon worthy heroes, and some really powerful women.  I loved that Rielle & Eliana had their flaws and I loved that we got to know them on a fundemental level. It was fun to see the growth in them. 

All in all, I really liked this story. I probably wouldn't consider it young adult though. I think it belongs in the adult fantasy section.

Furyborn is a beautifully crafted story of two women fighting for the ones they love in two very different times. Rielle must prove to her people that she is the Sun Queen And has complete control over her powers, even if that's not entirely true. Over a thousand years later Eliana joins the rebels to save her mother and other women and children who have disappeared without a trace. As the story delves further into these two stories, the connection between the two women grows stronger.


I struggled a bit in the beginning of this book, as the two stories switched every other chapter. There was a bit of a disconnect but I am so glad I kept reading. It got to that point where I found myself glancing at the clock and saying I can finish this book tonight! And before I knew it, I was well into the early hours of the morning. As I piecing together the puzzle of Furyborn, I also found myself in a thought provoking dilemma. What circumstances can change a person's character?

 
I really enjoy a book, especially a young adult fantasy book, that makes me question my own sense of self. How far would I go for the ones I love? How would those experiences change who I am and what I stand for? All of these things kept racing through my mind as I neared the finish line of this story. And at the end I couldn't help but sigh, knowing I have to wait for the next book to come out to have ALL the answers I want.

Furyborn has everything from a completely well built world, to characters you can't help but invest in. I highly recommend this book with only one warning of one somewhat explicit sex scene that I could have done without in a YA fantasy novel. 

I was provided a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for my honest review.

Assassins, ghouls, magical trials, and suspense all packed in to one book. If you want a book that will have you cringing and clinging to the pages all at the same time, Furyborn is for you. Time hopping, thousands of years apart, Claire Legrand connects her two leading heroines through an ancient prophecy, the Sun and Blood Queens. Two Queens with inexplicable power, fighting in a cosmic war between humans and angels, that will determine the remains of the world in which they reside.

Rielle Dardenne has always lived amongst royalty. Her childhood best friend is now the crown Prince and her father, the right-hand man to the king, Rielle has always been sheltered from the looming dangers beyond the castle walls. The threat of the rebellion, the Red Crown and the dreadful powers of the infamous Emperor. When Rielle saves Prince Audric, she exposes her suppressed magical powers and she is put on trial by her own extended family. Forced into magical trials, built for an inevitable death, Rielle must prevail throughout all tests and claim her rightful title as the Sun Queen.

However, Rielle’s story is not as one-dimensional as it seems. In love with Audric who is betrothed to her childhood best friend, Rielle is thrown into a world of danger, love and consequences. With that not being enough for poor Rielle, she also has a voice in her head, a man speaking to her, coaxing her through her life-threatening trials. She and the reader question together, who is this man and what does he want?

During the time of Eliana Ferracora, Queen Rielle is only a mere fairy-tale repeated to her by her naive brother, Remy. Eliana is a ruthless assassin, notorious across the lands and works for the Invictus, a powerful company of killers controlled by the Emperor where she is forced to carry out the most brutal and bloody jobs. When Eliana’s mother disappears in the middle of the night, she and the adorable Remy, set out on a journey to discover why women are being stolen away in the night without a trace. Is her mother connected to the other disappearances across the land? Can Eliana locate her? Or did she want to disappear and leave her children behind?

To find her mother, Eliana betrays the Invictus and joins a rebel gang on a mission to expose the evil powers that lurk within the empire, and the kingdoms it controls. The darkness she believed to have witnessed when working with the Invicuts is nowhere near what is about to unfold.

The world building in this novel is unlike any mainstream fantasy novel. The world is unique, well-orchestrated and multi-dimensional, engaging and teaching the reader as the story progresses. Further explanation of the world and its workings are hopefully coming in the second instalment of the series, which is already in the works!

Furyborn is a novel that has created a lot of buzz in the book community recently, quickly finding itself on the most-anticipated reads of many book lovers around the world. The Nerd Daily is here to conclude that Legrand’s latest novel is worth all of the hype. Legrand’s writing is lyrical and leaves the reader constantly lusting for more. Her world is unique and unparalleled; the characters are kick ass heroines that are constantly forced to find the balance between saving themselves or the ones they love.

Furyborn is a novel for every YA fantasy lover that is tired of the same tropes being repeated throughout every series within the genre. Legrand has created a breath of fresh air in the fantasy world, allowing her new YA novel to transcend genres and create a delightful read for all ages.

Furyborn is an action-packed story about two girls, both struggling with the dark and light within themselves. It’s set in two timelines and describes the events leading up to and after the fall of a magic and rise of a mysterious and cruel Emporer. The chapters alternate between Rielle, in the past, and Eliana, in the future.

‘Elements’ of Furyborn I loved:
-Both main characters, Rielle and Eliana are trying to decide if they stand in the dark or the light. Rielle feels certain she can use her magic for good but can she control it? And can she resist the dark temptations of the voice in her mind? Eliana feels her actions means she is unredeemable, a monster, but the people around her believe she can be kind and honorable. I favored Eliana but enjoyed both of these strong, indepedant women
-I often find dual timelines to be confusing but that wasn’t the case with Furyborn. The two stories remain separate and easy to follow
-It was non-stop action from the first page! The prologue sunk its claws into me and I was heavily invested in the story from there on.
-Intrigue. Secrets and mysteries are slowly revealed and more questions arise that keep you turning the pages.
-The magic history and how each element has a temple, a magical beast, and a casting item.
-I really enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters like Remy, Simon, Zahra, and Ludavine. I’m especially interested in their roles in the sequels.
-Eliana’s story doesn’t involve romance the end, and I’m not even sure it will be a thing, I just have a feeling. If he is a love interest for her then I totally ship it, I’m a sucker for hate-to-love.
-I find that when characters are using magic or fighting the author’s ability to describe the scenes clearly for the reader can really make or break a book for me. Legrand did a really good job creating atmosphere, describing the settings, and fight scenes. I pictured the sprawling city of Orline and the towering castle of Celdaria with ease, and the action scenes were vivid and gripping.

Things I didn’t enjoy:
-The perspectives changed too often and because they didn’t affect one another I think each characters chapter could have been longer.
-Rielle’s trials felt tedious, it was clear she would pass each one and I didn’t learn much about the use of magic, or Rielle, in the process.
-I wasn’t invested in Rielle’s romance at all
-Not enough was explained or explained well. Leaving some things a mystery creates interest, but not enough detail just leaves the reader confused.
-The ending was underwhelming. After a book full of cliffhangers it ended with very little suspense.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Furyborn by Claire Legrand and I’m eager to read the sequel, I have some predictions and I need to see how things turn out. My star rating is 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy but perhaps not those new to the genre.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Furyborn. The plot was fast-paced, the characters were amazing, and the world building was great, although simple.

The two main characters, Rielle and Eliana were both... awesome. Eliana is a badass bounty hunter, the epitome of strong, female heroine. Rielle was almost softer, somehow. She was still fierce, but kinder and sweeter, as though she wanted to be a hero. And I’m a sucker for a great villain, like Corien. The characters were definitely the best part of the story.

The thing about a dual-perspective novel is that it’s very confusing. Especially since these two stories overlap slightly. Characters in Rielle’s world are easily confused with Eliana’s. The one other negative part of this book is the romance. It’s unnecessary, rushed, and not very passionate.

The plot was full of action, with few breaks. It’s a little exhausting, but exciting and fun. Rielle’s story was easier to follow, and I was always guessing at what the next trial will be. I was always surprised with the plot twists and turns. 

I would definitely recommend Furyborn if looking for an action-filled read with badass heroines.