Absolutely Amazing!
I was initially unsure whether I’d enjoy this book due to the role reversal aspect—but I was so wrong! The FMC is phenomenal: strong, compelling, and incredibly well-written. The relationship between the FMC and MMC was beautifully developed, with real growth that added depth and emotion to the story.
There’s also a “mean girl” character, but she’s written with just the right balance—believable without being over the top. I found myself completely immersed in this world and genuinely upset when it ended. This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite reads!

5 stars and a fun good time! Anyone reading this has to read the author's note that prefaces the story. This is the Tricia Levenseller’s passion project—her ode to feminine rage, and it definitely reads that way. For example, and this is not a spoiler, as it's mentioned in the author's note/trigger warnings, but, what modern feminist woman isn't here for a penis guillotine for rapists? I mean???? If the shoe fucking fits!!!

She did a good job of showing that women dominating males in a matriarchal society as a *response to* centuries of male abuse towards women is vastly different from men choosing to dominate females simply because they *could* due to their physical dominance. She illustrated the difference between the patriarchal motivation—cruelty/power, and the matriarchal motivation—revenge.

This standalone romantasy was true enemies to lovers, and a true slow burn. I enjoyed the court politics, the intrigue, the mystery—all of it. It’s sharp, satisfying, and complete. No cliffhangers. Just feminist fury and a damn good time.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was pretty amped when I read the synopsis of this one. Flipping the history books and having a matriarchal society that did everything to men that had happened to women? I guess what I didn't anticipate was that it would go so far?

Let me start at the beginning. The book was....fine. The story is about a princess of a very Marvel-Amazon type society except that instead of no men, all the men became essentially possessions when women were granted powers that specifically allow them to overpower men. But this princess has no such power, so she rises to the rank of General through the miracle of hard work and deception. She needs a husband to cement her place as a leader and (because long ago they murdered all the noblemen) she has to kidnap a prince from the neighboring patriarchal society. Cue....a romance?

Honestly many historical and romantasies are predicated on similar, gender flipped tropes, and yes, historically, the women are treated badly. But it was hard to feel as though the male lead wasn't having some sort of Stockholm syndrome by the end, after seeing what her society was willing to do to men. I know there's a deeper commentary there, but it was hard to parse out between the shock value of everything that got shoved in between the slightly forced romance.

I finished this, and while I didn't love it, I do usually love Tricia Levenseller's books so I'll read more, but this was a bit of a miss for me.

What Fury Brings didn’t just give me a morally grey hero and a fierce heroine—it cracked open my chest and set my spine on fire. Tricia Levenseller delivered a story that is sharp, seductive, and dripping with danger, where every chapter felt like standing on the edge of a blade, begging to be cut.

The MMC? Dark, deadly, with a haunted past that coils around him like smoke—and every soft moment from him hits like a sword to the gut. The FMC? Strong-willed, stubborn, willing to set the world aflame rather than let it cage her. Together? A collision of fury and longing that burned me alive from the inside out.

The banter? Barbed, delicious, and had me grinning feral. The tension? Coiled tighter than a drawn bowstring. And the spice? Gods—raw, hungry, and ruinous in the most beautiful way.

This isn’t just a story of love—it’s a war between fear and desire, shadows and fury, and the kind of devotion that’s as dangerous as it is inevitable. I’m ruined. Obsessed. And ready to throw myself into the fire all over again. Tricia, you own my heart—and my last breath. 🔥🖤⚔️

Thank you for the arc opportunity.
I found it really difficult to get through this story, I felt no connection to this story or characters. This is not female empowerment. This is cruelty and as the author said herself… this is a story of her own fury. She took that and wrote this twisted tale where men are the weaker sex and women are the ones committing atrocities against the men.

I was intrigued by the concept but to me, the execution and message was just lost.

Such an interesting concept. And I thought it was very well executed. What Fury Brings is a play on what if woman were the power instead of the men. And everything that happens to women instead happens to men. In this we have. The General Olerra. Who is competing against her cousin to be the crown princess. And her cousin who used to be her friend when they were younger now hates her and wishes for her death. Also, we have Sanos. Who is the heir of another kingdoms throne. When Olerra decides she needs to take a husband she decides she is going to go kidnap one of the next kingdoms kings sons. What she thinks is the second son is actually the heir.

I do like how you see kind of both kingdoms in this one being under a patriarchy and I’m being under a matriarchy. Both are definitely flawed. I do love the world building that. Tricia Levenseller did with this. And while there’s no magic system in this romantasy. The idea of how the Amarran women came into their strength was very interesting. I also liked the character growth that there was and how though Sanos is not a typical Brute in my opinion his eyes and mind were opened up a lot by what he is shown in Amarra.
Overall, I really liked the book and I am happy. It is a standalone, but would totally read more in this world.
Thank you to Macmillan FEIWEL for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC of this book!*

I liked this book a lot, but also didn't like it? Let me explain.
First, I want to say I did read the trigger warnings and the Author's comment on GR about this book not being a feminist book, and that instead it's a book about revenge.

What caught my interest about this book was the fact that it was described as a sexy, empowering romantasy where women are in charge and kidnap men to be their husbands. Was it sexy? Yes. Was it romantasy? Yes. Was it empowering? Well...yes and no.

I have read very few, if any, books that have a matriarchal kingdom. I enjoyed that aspect of it, and in addition the fact that women are blessed by the Gods with extraordinary strength. What I did NOT enjoy was that the women of this kingdom use their strength to dominate the men that they kidnap. Again, I read the fact that it was not feminist (being equal), but I was hoping there would be another way for the women characters to lead without embarrassing or belittling the male characters. I just felt uncomfortable reading about some of the situations that occurred, as it felt like if the roles were reversed (men dominating women) this book probably (hopefully) wouldn't be as widely accepted. What I did think worked was how the women delt with rapists in their country (if you've read it, you know...).

I did keep reading, because I did want to see it through to the end. I really enjoyed the first 20% and the last 15%, but everything else in-between relied on Olerra diminishing Santos down to being a "whore". Overall, I would say definitely check the trigger warnings and read the Author's note on GR before you decide for yourself to read this book. It also has some very spicy scenes, so that is another thing to think about before reading!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Honestly one of the better stand alones I've read in a while. It was really well paced and didn't feel like the ending was rushed and all problems magically solved in a single paragraph

I really enjoyed the premise and how this was written in a male/female role reversal. It was entertaining to read the FMC doing traditionally MMC things like trying to woo him, dressing him up to her liking, and calling him a good boy. I enjoyed their relationship and how it felt long it organically progressed, again it didn't feel spontaneous or rushed.

Overall, I think it's a unique book and I had fun reading it. There are a few loose ends, as there always are in a stand alone, but the ending had a setup for another book with other characters which could ultimately answer those questions.

In a world where two rival countries are ruled by a matriarchy and a patriarchy, a woman who hopes to be queen accidentally steals the crown prince of the patriarchal country to be her bride. Fair warning, this book definitely reeks of Stockholm syndrome, and that honestly bothered me for the whole book. However, the incredibly interesting world building and strong characters all around really saved this book.

Would I have liked it more if Sanos hadn’t been full on kidnapped and bound for a good chunk of the book? Yes, for sure. But this book makes a point that fury and revenge are what drive these two countries to be what they are (even if that needs to change in the future), and things that come out of those emotions are not the most peaceful or fair.

As far as the romance goes, although I liked the idea and ultimately the end, I didn’t feel the chemistry. There was definitely an abundance of lust, but it felt like a complete switch as far as Sanos and Olerra’s inner dialogue goes. The actions were there that were convincing enough to make the jump from lust to love, but the longing and endearment in their inner thoughts just felt abrupt.

Overall, I quite liked this book, and although it’s not my favorite by the author, it is still a great read (especially for the concept of their world), and I would absolutely read another book connected to this one, if say it was about some certain familiar characters (a certain best friend and large brother hint hint).

Final rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️, rounded up to 4

Thank you Macmillan, Feiwel, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I instantly fell in love with this book when I read the author’s note on her instagram. The second I read the words ‘penis guillotine for rapists’ I knew I needed to read this.

This book is not a feminist book, it’s an angry one. I loved it. The women are violent and cruel just like a lot of the men in our society. That’s the point. This is a gender reversal, it’s not about what our society should look like or what it would look like if women were in charge. It’s women committing violence instead of men. Just like what the author said herself: it’s not about feminism, it’s about revenge. I think there is so much expectation for women to be better than men and to rise above their behavior, but that’s not the case for this book. The men were violent and so the women responded with violence. It was really uncomfortable and gross at times because it was supposed to be. The women are not morally right in this book, they’re angry. That’s the entire point.

That being said, I did not enjoy the romance. I think no matter the gender of the characters the way their relationship developed made me uncomfortable. I think if their relationship had been a reflection of how men manipulate women in relationships it would have been effective, but as a genuine romance it just didn’t feel right. Maybe if it had been longer and we got to see them gradually fall for each other then it would have made sense.

The characters themselves fell flat. I didn’t feel connected to them and I was not at all emotionally invested in their lives. I just really enjoyed the world and the embodiment of feminine rage.

ARC Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a highly anticipated read for me. Starting with a love of the artwork being shown under the dust jacket and the idea of a women kidnapping a man to take as husband.

I've read quite a few books where the man steals a woman, so it was fun to see it swapped. The power dynamic in the bedroom was also another unique twist to this story. As a YA author moving into the adult writing space. I felt this was a great bridging piece. Good aspects of a YA fantasy with a darker edge and sampling of spice. I think it fits and works great in the adult space.

This was a fun read that had a satisfying feel to watch a man to think was about certain fears I've grown up with. Still wrong and I don't want anyone to have those kind of concerns, but it's nice to see it being shown or talked about on a larger scale. Validating. I love when books/movies do the gender swap stuff.

Again a fun read, little bit of romance, an ending that wrapped up in a pretty little bow. All in all enjoyable, just try the right bit of uncomfortable, and makes for a fast read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan | FEIWEL for the ARC!

As soon as I saw a video saying rapists were punished by a guillotine in this book, I knew I needed it ASAP. (I'm not over my fascination with that). I also deeply love Tricia Levenseller's writing style. This was the 3rd book I've read by her and to me they just flow nicely.
This was a book about women's rage, and I was here for it. A place where women rule and men do as they say (and like it). The FMC was awesome. She was a warrior who knew her strength and while she did kidnap and technically enslave the MMC, she was kind, never forceful, and knew she wanted a better world.
It almost feels wrong to love this so much, because in my mind the role reversal was still wrong. There wasn't equality, it was 100% revenge, but it was written in such a beautiful way, and I absolutely loved the ending and felt like it tied together well.
I cannot wait for this to be officially published and see what others thinks.

I loved reading about a matrichary and a female led society. Reading the triggers at the start of the book allowed me to conceptualize the type of society and lives men face in this book. It is very clearly made that this is not a feminist book but one of revenge. It details very gruesome treatment of men (good to note that everything that happens to men here has happened to women throughout history.

I enjoyed the pace and the plot of this story. I wish we could have fleshed out a bit more of the FMCs history and her journey with her powers.

Olerra has trained and fought her way to prove herself fit as General, and hopefully will be chosen as Queen of Amarra. Sanos, the first son of vicious Brutus king Atalius, will do anything to protect his family. Olerra, keen to prove herself fit for a queen engages in an old tradition of stealing her husband from a neighboring kingdom. She chooses the “spare” brother of Atalius but little does she know, she has actually kidnapped Sanos, the heir. Will Olerra be able to get her kidnapped fiancé to fall in love with her and gain the favor to be queen? Will Sanos be able to weather the strange customs enough to find a way to get home again?

The premise was interesting in some respects - Amarra is a kingdom where women rule and objective and use men. Essentially, it’s giving men a “taste of their own medicine” and for Sanos, this is strange since men are still in charge in his kingdom. There are some double standards highlighted, but unfortunately feels mostly surface level. I appreciated that the FMC is shown as large, strong, and headstrong and that this is very desirable for the MMC and for the kingdom of Amarra. This was a nice change from all of the thin, young FMCs in other books. Unfortunately, I never really fell in love with any of the characters and didn’t fall too deeply into the plot. The read was fine and the storyline was more unique so that was appreciated.

What Fury Brings is an adult dark romantic fantasy in a world where men oppressed women but one kingdom had women blessed with the power of a goddess to be able to overthrow men and subjugate them instead.

Olerra is a princess-general who needs to impress the nobles to be elected queen instead of her cruel, scheming cousin. To accomplish that, she's expected to follow the tradition of her nation of kidnapping a husband of noble origin from a neighboring country and then break and brainwash him into submission. She tries to kidnap the meekest of the 5 sons of the enemy king, but due to a case of mistaken identity, she kidnaps the bravest one instead. He attempts to fight Olerra or escape, but in vain. He hates being enslaved to her, no matter her temptations both of sexual and political nature - she wants his cooperation to help against her rival cousin and his father, the king who threatens Olerra's country with a war. He knows his father is an abusive despot and the cousin poised to be queen a repugnantly evil person, but should he sacrifice his chance for freedom, future and dignity by cooperating with his enslaver?

The romance plot follows a dark romance trope of immense power imbalance against the kidnapped and enslaved person, just with the usual genders reversed. Sanos struggles with his feelings - he's attracted to Olerra, but also hates her for everything she did to him, from stealing his freedom, to humiliating treatment she excuses by her nation's customs. He agrees she would make a better queen than her cousin, but also reviles her nation and all its oppressive laws and traditions.

The most interesting part were discussions between Sanos and Olerra where both air their grievances against the other one's nation and its laws, presenting both countries as flawed places of oppression. And while Olerra is her nation's daughter through-and-through, believing fully that what they did was justified, Sanos' pov gives us alternative opinions denouncing that attitude as hypocrisy. Olerra instead points out Sanos' hypocrisy that he only hates unjust laws when they don't privilege him, because he never did anything about unjust laws in his own country, despite being a crown prince.

The romance itself wasn't my cup of tea, because I don't enjoy romances where one side is a victim and the other one is a bully, captor, enslaver, or forced the other into a marriage, no matter the genders of people involved. But it's interesting how popular is this trope among people as long as the perpetrator is a man (see: Manacled, Rose in Chains, The Captive Prince, Firebird, and the myriad of books with the man wrapping the hand around the throat of the woman). I'm not sure was the romance supposed to be swoony, or rather uncomfortable on purpose to lampshade how often this dynamic is romanticized as long as the perpetrator is a masculine, attractive male.

I feel this book is the author's reply to dark romantasy and grimdark epic fantasy and their wanton oppression and abuse, in a similar vein as R.F. Kuang's Yellowface was a response to online discourse about racism and cultural appropriation. Both books shouldn't be taken at their face value, but rather as a meta-commentary between the lines.

I recommend this book for 18+ adult readers who are looking for a read that's unsettling and uncomfortable rather than feel-good escapist. There's a lot of disturbing content in this book including abuse, slavery, sexual exploitation, brutal punishments and executions, brainwashing and oppression. There are also explicit sexual scenes. Do not enter expecting a pleasant read with a ready-made moral of the story.

I received an ARC from Netgalley & Feiwel (Macmillan) for the purpose of leaving a honest review.

A thought-provoking adult debut full of rage and romance!

“What Fury Brings” follows Olerra, a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.

More than anything, this is a book about revenge and I devoured every single page. Levenseller constructs a complex society that resembles our own, but is run entirely by women. It is not them who have been wronged, but instead men and I love how she flipped the script in putting our history under a microscope.

Princess Olerra Corasene is a strong fmc that has a special place in my heart. Her fury is both powerful and validating, as it is an emotion I know all too well. I also appreciate how Levenseller pushes against traditional femininity in the way Olerra’s appearance is described. She is a warrior and her body reflects that. No matter her size and shape, she is comfortable and confident in her body, which I absolutely love.

Olerra and Sano’s enemies to lovers relationship arc is intoxicating! At the start, Sano’s hatred for Olerra is real. Because he is being held prisoner by Olerra against his will, she can’t be anything more than his enemy. The more he spends time with her, the harder it becomes to deny their chemistry. The tension created by his warring emotions is everything! I could not get enough of their push-pull dynamic and the moment they gave in to each other was incredibly satisfying!

I enjoyed this one and am keeping my fingers crossed that Levenseller will return to this world in the future!

I've decided not to continue reading this one or reviewing it. It's not one that I enjoyed due to the content and will not be recommending it to my followers.

This was an interesting one. What Fury Brings throws us into a kingdom ruled by women, where power, politics, and magic are all centered around female strength. The worldbuilding was solid, and I appreciated how the matriarchal society also had its own rules and flaws.

The pacing dragged a bit in the middle for me, and there were moments where I felt like I was being told rather than shown. Still, the main character had depth, and I was genuinely curious to see where her choices would take her.

Not a new favorite, but definitely worth the read if you’re into political intrigue with a feminist twist. Would pick up the next one for sure.

Olerra is one of the princesses of the matriarchal nation of Amarra, and as one of a limited number of candidates vying to be the next queen, she must prove her strength and ability by bringing in a husband of a noble line. As most of the noble men of her own country have been killed, what better way to prove that skill than by kidnapping not just a noble, but a prince of the neighboring nation to be that husband. Though she aimed to take the second son of the tyrant king of Brutus, through a chance encounter she, unbeknownst to her, ends up with the crown prince instead.

Sanos, heir to the throne of Brutus, must keep his real identity a secret to protect both his own life and his brother's. As he works to escape Amarra, he also grows closer to Olerra, learning about her love for her people. Ultimately, he will have to make a choice - his nation or his heart.

True to Levenseller's previous works, this is a complete world with inner workings that are revealed throughout the story. The characters are well developed with personal motivations. This deals strongly with sexism themes and highlights the strength of women and feminism. This is definitely intended for adults and has adult content comparable with many spicier romantasy novels.

Recommended for fans of Fourth Wing, Bride, and ACOTAR.

This book was badass in every sense of the word. It’s dark, gritty, and emotionally charged—hooked me from page one. The main character? A walking embodiment of female rage—raw, unflinching, and utterly unstoppable. I loved watching her channel that fury into power, vengeance, and survival.

It’s a bold exploration of what happens when women are pushed too far—and what they become when they stop apologizing for their anger. With action, tension, morally gray choices, and just the right spark of romance, What Fury Brings absolutely rips. I devoured every page and wanted more. 🔥

Thank you to Feiwel and NetGalley for the advanced copy!