The story of two strong women. Rielle a young woman that is kept locked away from people because of her powers. Elliana a young woman that is used as a bounty hunter because of her powers. The story takes place is two different eras. Each chapter is alternating between Rielle and Elliana. Rielle must go through a series of trials to prove herself while Elliana must go on a quest. This was a very compelling story about love and betrayal. I would recommend this story to individuals in high school and older that enjoy fantasy with a love story.

I really enjoyed this fantasy. It tied together nicely and I look forward to the follow up books

I'm sitting somewhere between 3.5-4 stars. Maybe closer to 4? It was REALLY fun, especially in the first 50%. I'll definitely pick up the sequel.

Let's start with the prologue because holy crap that was fantastic. Way to suck me in, Claire. Anyway, we're thrust into an intense birth-and-escape scene where Queen Rielle delivers her daughter and shoves her into the arms of a young boy-Simon- telling him he must escape and save her life. Simon basically witnesses this whole horrific scene with the queen and an angel that has come for her before whisking the baby to safety. (Safety meaning years and years later, because Simon has that type of magic.)

The first chapter takes us years previous before Rielle becomes the ever-famous 'Blood Queen'. We follow her story as her life leads up to the inevitable prologue. Additionally, as a dual POV, we watch her daughter years in the future, who has no idea her real heritage. We learn of a prophecy, one that speaks of the coming of a 'Sun Queen' and a 'Blood Queen'. Thanks to the prologue, we know Rielle is the 'Blood Queen'.

Anyway, I was super invested in Rielle's story, especially knowing how it 'ends'. It's almost a villain origin story, except Rielle's heart stays true. I don't want to spoil much, but her story begins when the kingdom discovers she can control all the elements with her magic, not just one like the rest of the population. They assume she is the long-foretold Sun Queen, and to prove she is the Sun Queen and not the Blood queen, she must complete Trials in front of the kingdom. She also has a bit of a forbidden romance with Aldrik, the prince, though there are about a billion things keeping them apart. Anyway, phew her scenes are super riveting, especially at first. While she's completing the Trials (which are cruelly put together), she hears a voice. She grows to know the voice as Corien and discovers he is an angel. (Which again, we know Corien is the one she tries to save her daughter from in the prologue.)

Then we have Elianna, her daughter. In her time, she's known as the "Dread of Orline" - she's something like a bounty hunter. Think Celaena Sardothian from the 'Assasin's Blade' - or something like that. She's a bit of an anti hero--she's fierce and doesn't listen to anyone, but somewhere in there, she has a good heart. We don't know what happened to the boy that saved her as a baby, and she doesn't remember any of that. She was raised by another family and pretty much only cares about them and no one else. BUT her 'mother' goes missing and Elianna gets mixed up with a man called the "Wolf' who makes her a deal to find her mother if Elianna will help him.

So blah blah the story jumps in two different directions.

Anyway, the pacing was batshit crazy. Like, there isn't a single dull moment. I almost wonder if it was *too* fast at times, but I applaud Claire's ability to suck the reader in and keep them turning the page. Expect a ton of action and intrigue. I honestly thought this would be a 5-star book up until the last 70%. I think at that point though, the crazy fast pacing lost me a bit. I felt like everything was a bit lackluster to the build-up, but that's only a personal opinion. I feel like things with Simon + Elianna were a bit rushed <spoiler>they got mushy totally out of the blue </spoiler> - I think Elianna's character arc felt like it came out of left field. As far as Rielle, I still like her a lot, and I loved the whole struggle with Audrik vs Corien. I think at the end, I was just expecting a big blow up with Corien vs Elianna, but nothing really happened. (Soooo I'll be back for a sequel...)

Lastly, the writing struck me as a bit strange at times. I'm not one to talk or anything, but the type of grammar used threw me a bit.

Oh well, whatever. The story was fun! Corien was a fantastic villain - I'm super intrigued by him. If you know me, I'm a sucker for a good villain.

Do I recommend this? Sure, you'll have fun reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “Furyborn” by Claire Legrand. This book is magical. After reading her previous book I was not surprised. This author has a fantastic imagination. The characters are relatable and well developed and the topic is fresh. This book will find a home at my library for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in advance. I "wished" for it and had my wish granted very soon after. I was given a copy of this novel on Netgalley for an honest opinion on the novel.
I LOVED this novel.
Let me first say that the writing style and the voice that Legrand has is like no other. I felt myself instantly transported to the world that I was reading. I felt like I was right next to Reille on the Boon Chase as she's riding after Audric and that I was fighting with Eliana as she slipped through the streets and claimed her victims. The level of verisimilitude that is in this novel is breathtaking. Everything felt so real.

This cunning and wit that the main characters have, both Reille and Eliana, is stunning. I found myself quite impressed with both of them. Eliana for being street smart and being able to worm her way out of situations, like charming men and being able to make them think what she wants them to think by how she pretends to act. Reille is also smart in the way that she puts on a show for the people, she knows that she has to win over their hearts and does so with the help of Lu.

These characters have real fears and real challenges that they have to face. I honestly could not have loved this book anymore than I already do. I don't normally give 5/5 stars on books, those are reserved for my ultimate favorites and this is one of those favorites.
Sign me up for the next novel in the series because I cannot wait to get my hands on it!