There was something so empowering about this book. I really appreciated the author’s note at the beginning of the book. I highly recommend anyone who reads this book to start there. As soon as I read “The society I’ve created is a reflection of our own but reversed” I knew I was exactly where I needed to be. This book can be a big eye-opener for a certain audience and a bit healing for others.

“We must protect ourselves…What reason is there for the way the men of your country treat women?”

In the Queendom of Amarran the women have been blessed with the ability to overpower men and the matriarchy has taken over. Women are in charge. Olerra, an Amarran princess, is ready to prove to her people that she deserves the crown. To prove this, she decides it’s time to steal herself a husband from the nearby kingdom. Not any man, but the second born prince of Brutus. When Olerra unknowingly kidnaps the wrong prince from the neighboring town, Sanos, next in line to be king, chooses to not reveal the mix up. Now Olerra must try to convince the wrong prince to love her while Sanos tries to survive this new world he’s thrust into where women have the final say.

“‘Instead of making the world a better place, your ancestors flipped it.’... ‘Yes, for that is what fury brings.’”

The author is a thoughtful writer who did an amazing job of telling a story from two perspectives we don’t see often in romantasies. The woman is the captor, taking away the man’s agency,but thinking she’s offering him a life of luxury, while the man is objectified and fearing for his life. Through the story, both characters are forced to begin to see what the other is experiencing and adjust their mindsets. At the root of it, the point of the story isn’t to say “see how you like it!” to men or prove that women controlling men is better, but that neither should be the solution. That everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and one has to fight to find that path.

Knowing that the author came from writing YA, I really expected this book to be tamer than it was. Though I’m not upset about the intensity of this story, I do highly encourage readers to check the trigger warnings before reading. This book is for those who enjoy adult romanasies and don’t mind some slightly darker themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and FEIWEL / Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Ok let me just start this review by saying i’m a big fan of Tricias work, The Shadows Between Us is one of my all time favorite books, that being said this book was in no way, shape or, form for me. I DNF’ed at 41% quite literally in the middle of a chapter because i just could not go on. The writing style just did not flow well in my mind, i honestly don’t even know how to describe it i just didn’t like it and struggled the whole time i was reading with being invested because of the writing style. The plot was very intriguing to me but i felt it was poorly executed, i didn’t relate to any of the characters or honestly even like any of them. I know this book wasn’t supposed to be a “feminist” book or anything but the way both gender talked about the other just didn’t sit well with me and i just couldn’t go on with their inner dialogues for the rest of the book. 🫤

Does this book have plot holes?? LOL yes way too many. But ask me how I don’t give two flying F’s about it because I had way too much fun reading this book.

This book screams Femininomenon and I’m not mad about it in the slightest. I definitely think some people will but in this day and age we need a book like this.

What Fury Brings jams all of my favorite things into one amazing book. We have Enemies to lovers, badass women, diverse characters and intense action. I started this at 6 AM this morning and couldn’t put it down. So be prepared once you start it, you’re not putting it down until you finish.

I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this book. I even had to message a coworker on teams that I better not get a call because I was giggling so much reading this book. The humor, the drama, the romance was refreshing. The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 star was because I wanted more and I felt like the ending could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, I can’t wait to grab a trophy copy of this when it releases later this fall. And I hundred percent recommend it! Lastly Thank you NetGalley, Tricia Levenseller and Macmillan for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review

I definitely was not the target audience for this book, as I did not enjoy the amount of smut in it. Although, I did very much enjoy the plot! It was captivating and kept me engaged throughout the story. I do think there could be less smut, but that's just a personal opinion.

A part of me wants to rate this less stars. Technically is is a well written book and the writing is paced well. I was able to quickly get through this despite really not liking it.

The premise is that there’s a Kingdom, Amarra where essentially the patriarchy is turned on its head but to the extreme. Women are in power and men and chained and broken, degraded and treated like submissives. Our FMC, Olerra, is trying to get a bid to be the crown princess and kidnaps a man to be her husband. Our MMC, Sanos, is a crown prince, who hates his abusive father from a neighboring regular kingdom dynamic. I didn’t particularly like either main character. The FMC’s character is problematic and the MMC lacks depth of character. Their interactions seem superficial, so their developing relationship doesn’t feel believable at all. I feel like there are people that will enjoy this, but it’s not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ebook for an honest review.

4/6
This is going to be a meandering review. Sorry in advance. TLDR, I enjoyed it, would recommend it to darker romance fans, and would buy it when it comes out (in softcover fingers crossed!).

As another reviewer said, I also think this book will be divisive. I happened to really enjoy it. PLEASE read the trigger warnings before reading it. This is not a light and fluffy romance book. It’s not even really a dark romance imo, but it is DARKER than what the author usually writes (and I just finished reading two of hers so I know! Lol). And if you’re not into non-con, then this isn’t going to be for you, cuz there is some of that in here.

The premise is what drew me right away. A female society that is physically able to overpower men? Kidnapping husbands? I’m interested! I’ve read some dark things, so I didn’t even bat an eye at the ‘darker’ stuff. Was it disgusting that some women in this society abused their men? Absolutely. But to me, it was an inverse of our own society and the “typical” societies in romance books.

Honestly, this book reminded me of two different series I enjoy. The first was a barbarian romance (kidnapping of the partner, having ‘barbaric ways’) and the second is the Black Jewels series. The way the men were treated in WFB reminded me of how the evil Queens in the black jewels treated their men, as pleasure slaves, forcing them to be erect against their will and ‘service’ the Queens…. I didn’t like it there and I didn’t like it in WFB. But, it seems as though not EVERYONE in the Amarran society treats their males/husbands like slaves, but they still see them as second class citizens.

This book is not going to be for everyone. If you like darker books, then you’ll probably like this. I devoured it in a day and a half, though personally I think it could have been a little longer. It came in at under 400 pages. It was concise, like all the author’s books, but it felt a little rushed in some places, things could have been explored more, more than just a handful of nobles could have been introduced then quickly discarded. The dual POV could’ve expanded a little bit, and made us believe that Sanos didn’t have stockholm syndrome lol. I know it’s just the inverse of the girl falling helplessly in love with her captor, but there too, I want to really FEEL like they love each other, it felt a little shallow here.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review, thank you Netgalley.

“Given the extreme size of the king’s sword, Olerra felt certain the man was compensating for something.”

Olerra starts the novel with a bang and a crash fighting the enemy king and coming out victorious. I really enjoyed how vicious she was in words and spirit. She could cut enemies down with words and her sword.

Then Stanton’s finds himself in quite the predicament and it was highly entertaining watching him grapple with everything that was different with this country and everything wrong with his own.

I read this in a matter of days which is unheard of now that I have two feral children so that truly shows the addictive quality of this book. I had to know what happened next.

I would recommend this book especially if you like a unique storyline, swapped gender roles, and *some men getting doses of their own medicine.

What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller was such a refreshing read! I absolutely loved the role reversal in this story, with women as the “conquerors.” It wasn’t just a quick gimmick—it carried all the way through the book, and there was no last-minute male savior, which I appreciated so much.

The world and characters felt consistent the whole way through, and Tricia Levenseller did a great job keeping the storyline tight and believable. The pacing kept me turning pages, and the female-led power dynamic made the whole adventure even more fun to read. If you enjoy strong heroines, a twist on traditional fantasy roles, and a plot that sticks to its promise, this one is worth picking up!

Thank you to Tricia Levenseller, Macmillan Publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC!

After reading the synopsis of this book I was greatly intrigued and added it to the TBR.

In this book, you enter a world that flips patriarchy on its head. There is a kingdom in this world where Women are the dominant sex and basically treat men the way that men have treated women in our actual history. (Not that women would actually treat men the same way if we were in charge)

This is by no means a feminist book as feminism is about treating all genders equal. This book is about revenge and exploring what a world would look like if we followed a matriarchal system rather than a patriarchal system. The author does mention this all in the authors note.

The book itself was just okay for me. There were parts that I loved and parts that I was slightly bored.

Overall, I wish more was happening with the plot in the book. The pacing was choppy at times and the ending also felt extremely rushed last minute.

The romance was just okay as well. I would call this a true enemies-to-lovers at least from the mmc's point of view. My biggest issue with the romance was that it felt like the switch from enemies to lovers was instantaneous. All of a sudden the mmc goes from hating the fmc to being madly in love. Now, there was a lot of tension buildup however, I just wish the switch was more gradual.

Now, this is a standalone so that makes it more difficult to add more complexity to both the plot and romance however, I thought some things could have been executed better.

Trope List:
Enemies-To-Lovers
Forced Proximity
TENSION
Mistaken Identity

Overall Star Rating: 3/5-Average
Spice Rating: 3/5

Thank you NetGalley for the Digital ARC!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7492781265


Starts strong ends weakly. Needed either a second book or to be more longer.

I'm a huge Tricia Levenseller fan so when I saw she was writing her first New Adult book, I pre-ordered IMMEDIATELY. I was so excited to get a chance to read this ARC and it did not disappoint. A true enemies to lovers set in a world where the patriarchy has been turned on its head and a kingdom of women, blessed with the strength of a goddess, rule a completely feminist society. Our FMC, Olerra, is a warrior general trying to secure her bid to throne and must kidnap and train a husband as a show of her power and ability to lead the kingdom of Amarra. Her choice? A second-born prince of the neighboring kingdom of Brutus. But the night of the kidnapping, a switch is made and she unknowingly ends up taking the heir and warrior of Brutus, Sanos. With secrets and distrust between them, Olerra and Sanos must work together to secure her right to the throne and his return back to his kingdom and family. But when real feelings develop and Sanos experiences life in Amarra and a life with Olerra, things get very complicated and dangerous. It was so interesting to read a book where men were the weaker sex and treated as women are in our current day and time. I loved What Fury Brings and can't waited to get my copy!

Read if you like: enemeis-to-lovers, secret identities, forbidden love, strong FMCs, "I choose you", men being humbled - alot.

DNF at 20%. While I thought the premise was a super cool idea and unique I just couldn’t get into it and all the violence against the men was alot. I appreciated the trigger warnings so definitely look at those before you read. I also was just not a fan of the MFC.

Every time I've read a story where a woman is kidnapped, forced into marriage, coerced to love some pushy, controlling, obsessive-possessive guy and it's presented as "he knows better what's good for her" and somehow super romantic, I prayed for a day to come when I could see the tables turned and women were allowed not just to submit, but to dominate too. We had tons of growling alpha-holes, shadow daddies and villain gets the girl romantasies, but where are my alpha bitches, shadow mommies and villainesses get the boy?

Finally my prayers were answered, and I've received the book I wanted so much. While the contents of this book aren't feminist, Olerra's society is caricaturally oppressive towards men which reminded me a bit of D&D Drow, the fact this book is being published by a big 5 traditional publishing house IS feminist.

You know the slogan "I support women's rights, moreover, I support women's wrongs"? It's a scream against female protagonists always having to be likeable, morally in the clean, obeying modern 21st century American values, having to sacrifice or redeem themselves - while the men don't!

Olerra is a byproduct of her society. She thinks deciding for a man is fine, because in her society it is. She thinks coercion and manipulation are fair play as long as she doesn't get violent - because her society excuses that, and even the violence too.

There are books where the society has totally different laws, values and customs than our modern Western society, and yet magically the protagonist gets a moral compass transplant to be "relatable" to the reader. I've always found that cheap. People are by-products of their societies and upbringing, and it takes a lot to stray from that blueprint.

So I'm glad this book doesn't go that route. I enjoyed the most when Olerra and Sanos butted heads arguing whose country is worse, and there wasn't a clear conclusion, because both of their countries were deeply flawed and oppressive, just at different angles.

The dual POV nature of this book allows to see the situation from both angles: Olerra's, who thinks she did nothing wrong and is even giving a great future to her captive husband-to-be, and Sanos', who is outraged and horrified by the whole situation, but also can't help but be physically attracted to Olerra.

This again feels like a staple when genders are reversed. How many romantasies we've seen where fmc "hates him but can't resist him"? I did feel uncomfortable in the scenes where Sanos was robbed of agency and coerced into things, but I think that was the point. It poses the question "would this make you uncomfortable, dear reader, if it was a man doing this to a woman?" And judging how well "dark romance" sells, we have the answer.

It's a bit of a shame that both in the text of the book and in the author's note we have explained twice in plain obvious words what's the conceit here ("nobody bats an eye when it's men doing it, maybe it's time they tasted some of their own medicine") and some people still don't seem to get it.

Yes, this book is very meta lampshading patriarchal tropes common in dark romance and dark fantasy. The message of the story isn't that flipping tables is better, but that maybe in the end a third path should be chosen, the path to equality. But it still lets fmc to be the hero of the story without any "obligatory scene" of submitting to a man (you won't believe how many powerful / dominant fmcs get that kind of scene inserted into their stories).

This book also avoids common pitfall of gynarchy fantasy where often all women are evil and all men are poor innocent victims. We have here evil men, evil women, good women and good men, and morally grey people too.

What else I loved about the book is that Olerra is a plus-sized woman with a belly as round as her breasts, as she's described. And yet, her appearance is never a reason for her insecurity, for any discrimination or for some odd fetishistic approach. It's just treated as one of her many facets, and her source of insecurity is related to the magic system of this world. She's treated as sexy in the same way as a typical thin heroine would be.

I also liked how varied the spicy scenes were. I'm tired of formulaic sex scenes in romance / romantasy and I always applaud an author who isn't scared to portray other sexual acts than the most standard vanilla ones. I also liked how "educational" Olerra got explaining female anatomy - it often feels like characters in romance / romantasy already know everything about the other person's body and sexuality before they even lie together, and the sex is always perfect with zero communication involved. On the other hand, Olerra had it a tad bit too easy to give Sanos mind-blowing orgasms, maybe it would be better if the story stuck to the theme of lovers having to learn each other's bodies first. Even though, again, it's very common in the other configuration that the mmc is a natural sex god while fmc has to learn everything...

In the end, I've realized these kind of very power-imbalanced relationships with dubcon and body betrayal syndrome aren't really for me no matter who's the dominant party, but I'm not sure was the book supposed to be pleasant or rather unsettling. It provokes the reader to examine their biases, what we tolerate in men but as soon as it's done by a woman the reaction changes.

This book is brutal, vulgar, edgy, provocative, polarizing, a purposeful caricature that operates with broad strokes rather than delicate touches. It's not a timid whisper, it's a loud scream.

I applaud Tricia Levenseller's bravery to publish this book that will likely get a lot of criticism and hate, and I applaud the publisher, Feiwel / Macmillan, for legitimizing the novel and allowing it a wide reach on the market.

I love how this is a book where a woman is allowed to be morally dubious without being punished for it and still gets her HEA ending. This book isn't scared to go all in.

Thank you Netgalley & Feiwel / Macmillan for the ARC!

I had to stop myself from reading further… not because of the litany of trigger warnings that I’d heard so much about (I simply couldn’t get far enough) but because the writing is dreadfully banal. So many uncanny instances of poor tellings that I had to question if I was reading a satire at first, and then whether if this is the author’s debut (no). In What Fury Brings, there is zero room for speculation of any sort, no, everything is laid out before you like a stale banquet.

I’m so sorry to be writing this myself because I wanted to give this book a honest chance considering the negativities surrounding it. I can only suspect that the writing means something to readers who actually enjoyed this book—as for now, the writing is the biggest barrier for me. Hopefully the published version is more polished. Hopefully.

What Fury Brings has an overall solid storyline that was engaging and kept me interested throughout the entire book. The mix of political twists, high stakes, and quick pacing kept me intrigued, and Levenseller’s writing brought plenty of tension and drama to the page. On the surface, it’s the kind of romantasy setup I usually enjoy. That said, I found myself not enjoying this romantasy as much, primarily because I couldn’t quite connect with the main gender role-reversal concept (women hold more power than men). I understand and can appreciate the aim of reversing traditional gender roles within a heroic love story, but the gender role-reversal theme came across as a bit forced and often pulled me out of the story. Instead of feeling like a natural element of the world-building, it often read more like a statement on gender roles was being made. Overall, it’s a good story but the execution of the gender-power dynamic didn’t land for me.

3.5 stars

The moment I heard the plot for What Fury Brings, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Reading it was such a cathartic experience!

I loved the entire concept - it truly makes you think and sit with many uncomfortable truths about our world. I also enjoyed Olerra’s and Sanos’s points of view equally, and found them both to be compelling and captivating characters.

Between the two, I do think Sanos showed more growth throughout the story than Olerra. While Sanos planned to implement change based on what he’d learned and experienced, Olerra was often guilting of perpetrating the same harm she disdained. They’re both products of their environments, but I had trouble reconciling some of Olerra’s actions with the better world she envisioned.

I think my feelings about Olerra’s development have to do with the overall execution of the plot. It just felt very superficial, like Levenseller only grazed the top of what the story could be and held her punches. I don’t necessarily think a story needs to be full of graphic horrors or injustices to make a point, but many scenes felt like they glossed over details and information that would have added to the world building. Specific examples include Glenaerys’s father’s rebellion, Glenaerys as a whole (why are her viewpoints so different from Olerra’s??), the future of the Ammaran’s goddess-given power that automatically gives them standing over men, and Olerra’s plans for systemic change. There’s some great conversations between Sanos and Olerra about how Amarra’s matriarchal society came to be, but not nearly enough discourse about how she planned to achieve equality between the sexes moving forward. That’s a lot to take on, and I’m not sure how Levenseller could have tackled it, but I guess I was expecting her to go all in one way or another.

All in all, this story was wholly unique. I was invested in the world, the plot, and the characters. I’d be interested in exploring more of the political and interpersonal relationships in a future story, perhaps from Ydra’s point of view!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and FEIWEL for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.75⭐

I can confidently say I’ve never read another book with a premise like this. That being said, I did mostly enjoy it! I appreciated the social commentary.

I would say there were some places where I felt the same word was used multiple times too close together or that some of the descriptions felt a little flat at times. I also think that the torture was a little much for me personally and if I think too much about the romance, it is a little Stockholm Syndrome like. Overall though, it was a fun read. Definitely read the author’s note at the beginning and check the trigger warnings though.

(More like 3.5 stars, but I round up.)
It's hard to write a review for this book. On the one hand I enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance, friendship between Olerra and Ydra, and the political intrigue. On the other hand this book seemed like it was trying to make a Big Point without really having anything to say. It was uncomfortable, but not in a nuanced way. The violence the women perpetrated on the men seemed there for shock value rather than having any real point or deeper meaning. And maybe it was shocking because the genders were reversed, but not enough is done to really sit with that and to talk about where the systems come from and how the characters are actively working to fix it.
Also, I love an angry girl. Feral girls are my favorite kind. For a book called "What Fury Brings" I could not find any. (Although I did like the line in the book that explains where the title comes from.) The women are strong and powerful and capable, but I didn't get anger or fury. It made the promise of the title feel empty. Honestly, my favorite character in this book was Sanos. He had the most character development and I felt like I understood his motivations more than Olerra's.
I didn't dislike this book, I just felt like there could've been so more. I wanted more of the character's relationships, like that of Sanos and his brothers. I wanted more world building and more explanation of the magic. I wanted more from Olerra as the FMC.

DNF at 62%.

Have you ever read a book that was about as subtle as a sledgehammer? Have you ever felt like the author assumed their readers couldn't make basic connections or draw conclusions on their own without heavy handed, blatantly obvious writing? If you enjoy no nuance whatsoever in a book that has to do with VERY heavy themes and could be a great critique on the past, and even current, patriarchy - then this book is absolutely for you. What Fury Brings starts out pretty strong. The author introduces a world and premise I was initially very excited for. Unfortunately, I think Tricia may have bit off more than she could chew. I always love a good revenge story, especially when we get an FMC who's capable and totally badass. I was actually looking forward to the romance between Sanos and Olerra when they first meet, I mean they had oodles of chemistry!! As soon as they begin to travel back to Amarra, all this chemistry disappears and the story devolves into a grotesque attempt at a feminine rage fantasy romance. Every choice Olerra makes whilst having a monologue in her head about how much she wants change, yet continuing to uphold everything she "hates" made me question every choice made as the story moves forward. There really didn't seem to be much of a point for a good chunk things that actually happen. Don't even get me started on how cringe and uncomfortable some of the intimate scenes made me. I've previously enjoyed Tricia's YA books and was so excited to see her debut in the adult sphere, but I truly don't think she was necessarily ready for a story like this.

That being said, there will be many people out there that will love What Fury Brings, I just wasn't one of them.

Thank you to Feiwel, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy.

I wanted to like this book. I really did….

But this was just gross. It was a temper tantrum for every time the author felt wronged by men. Which yes, men can suck. And yes, it would be hilarious to see them go through some of the things we do as women….but I would never wish these things on anyone. The author does state that in her note, but the tone of the book makes it seem that even the most atrocious actions are ok.

I would get into the plot, and then WHAM child sex slavery…..like WHAT?! Maybe if the main character sounded more against these things, but she’s just like that’s the way it is. Does she want to change things when she becomes queen? Yeah, but she captures a male prince to become her slave and eventually husband to do that.

I can see where the author wanted to go with this, but it was just very poorly executed and not well thought out. With the way culture is today, I do not see this being received well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.