I wanted to like this one more, I just think I had different expectations for the concept. The idea of a matriarchal society is so cool, and I love a woman-forward story, but I think this went too far. It felt abusive and uncomfortable rather than empowering. I did pay attention to the author's note stating it was a revenge romantasy, and not a feminist story. However, there was a lack of consent, and some of the writing felt more juvenile than I would have liked. I'm not quite sure how a love story would have come from this, but I think this was too dark for me. Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC to read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up What Fury Brings on September 23, 2025.

While I've loved Tricia Levenseller's work in the past, this book absolutely did not hit the mark. I read her author's note and understand what she was trying to achieve with the premise. But the lack of nuance and critique of the system established in the book meant that there was nothing empowering or justifiable to take away from it.

In essence, What Fury Brings paints a picture of a world where women lead this powerful nation, subjugating men born into it and those they capture or kidnap from other nations. While these other nations continue to perpetuate a patriarchal society, Amarra, our female-led nation, is run by women who were blessed with Goddess-given strength to always have physical control over men, no matter their size or stature.

While that concept might sound intriguing, Levenseller explains in her author's note that this is not meant to be a "feminist" novel that equalizes both genders. Instead, it's a "feminine rage" novel that she channeled all her frustrations into whenever she was discriminated against by a man. This is not the "actual" society she thinks women would create if they were in charge, but one flipped on its head and essentially a tit for tat for how men treated women for centuries.

Which leads to some of the more jaw-dropping and, in my opinion, horrifying aspects of the book. Spoilers ahead for prominent plot points and character conversations.

I think my biggest issue with What Fury Brings is how shallow the justifications are for women creating and perpetuating this society. Sure, their ancestors were persecuted and discriminated against for being women. But that led to a 500-year-old cycle of violence wherein men are treated like dogs or pets, paraded around on literal leashes and forced to perform, physically and sexually, for the women of this world. It led to the creation of literal sex slave markets where boys as young as 13 are sold off, and our main character does absolutely jack-shit to stop it.

She mentions that part of the reason she wants to become queen is to make changes to the system, such as abolishing the sex market. But that sentiment is completely undermined when she CONTINUES to perpetuate the system in other ways, such as forcing her kidnapped husband to undergo various physical and sexual abuses.

First of all, she buys into the idea that kidnapping her husband is a show of strength and a natural process that he should just accept without complaint. When he does complain, she continues to talk about "breaking him in" and "teaching him manners" as if it's the most natural thing in the world. And even when she promises his freedom if he goes along with her societal traditions and "behaves" in front of other Amarran women, she ALSO continues to fantasize and talk about the idea that he could just accept her as his wife and continue to be subjugated by her.

As for the physical and sexual abuses, they include, but are not limited to, being waxed against his will, being chained up and aroused against his will, having anal sex performed on him with no knowledge or understanding of what she was doing, being forced to wear nipple clamps and walk around barefoot on rocks, being forced to oil up and fight another man naked before a stadium full of women, and more.

It was impossible to root for their "romance" when Olerra, our FMC, held all the power in the relationship, and Sanos, our MMC, learned to just accept it. She wasn't as abusive as his father, so he could justify it. She wasn't as cruel as the other contender for the Amarran throne, Glen, so he could justify it. Never mind that he was being coerced for their entire relationship.

And ultimately, the book ends with NO broader discussion of abolishing the system Amarra had established for centuries. Like I said, Olerra talked about dismantling sex slave markets and whatnot, but she ultimately still buys into the idea that everyone should WANT to live in a world like Amarra, where women rule and men drool. Her conversations with Sanos barely scratch the surface of why this system had to be set up that way ("your sex started this," "that is what fury brings," "you'd want revenge on someone who abused you"). And even if they did dive deeper, I don't know that Tricia has the writing skills necessary to pull it off.

At the end of the day, the only good thing I can say about this book is that it was a quick read. The pacing kept things moving, and I really think if Tricia had tried to write a YA romantasy with not this concept, it would've been a fun, bingeable read. But the premise and lack of execution brought the story down significantly.

I’m feeling pretty conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it’s well written and very immersive. Levenseller sucks you right into the story and grabs your attention from the very first sentence. It’s a very interesting world and I was excited to see where the author was going to go with the story.
Unfortunately, I feel like FMC, Olerra was consistently hypocritical. She’s supposed to be progressive in her ideas of equality but yet she still continuously abuses and degrades the MMC, Sanos. I wanted to see growth from Olerra and a deeper understanding of how she too contributes to the problems in their society. Yes, she’s not as bad but that doesn’t mean that she’s good either and I think that’s where her mindset is so skewed. Just because she has the ideas and wants to make things different in their society, doesn’t mean that she can treat Sanos badly. I consistently felt like her mindset and actions just didn’t line up. Then, at the same time, she would be tender and understanding to him. Overall though, it wasn’t enough to make me a fan of her character.
As for the love story, it felt more like Stockholm Syndrome than anything else. I’m not sure how Sanos could possibly fall in love with Olerra.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up DNFing this one BUT I still wanted to provide feedback because it deserves it.

While this book was not MY cup of tea, I can absolutely see it becoming popular especially among people who have strong beliefs in feminine empowerment.

The world building was beautiful and there was definitely parts that made me laugh, there was just also bits of it that I found to be weird and borderline abusive which I did not want to read.

5 stars easily

I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I have seen the discourse this book has caused and I cannot seem to agree with any of it. For years women are one of the only category of people who are not allowed to be mad at their oppressors, if they did they died. For someone who has an immense about of feminine rage, this scratched my itch. I almost wanted more. This book is what happens in every day life but flip the roles (besides some minor things but alas that’s what makes it fiction.) One of my favorite reads this year.
Thank you so much NetGalley & Macmillan

Not entirely sure what to think about this. I’ve loved all of the authors previous works so I jumped at the opportunity to request this one. To be honest, from the beginning I was a little unsure if I would love it or not but part of reading is trying new things and the premise sounded intriguing. The writing itself is great. Easy to read and really pulls you in. The content was just not exactly for me and had me uncomfortable at points. I’m not sure if that’s how you’re supposed to feel or not though? I think the premise is really interesting but it was explored in a different way than what I was expecting going into it.

if women held all the power but acted like men, what would the world look like? this book.

i couldn’t put this down! tricia levenseller makes it very clear that what fury brings is NOT a feminist story. it’s a rage-fueled critique that mirrors patriarchal oppression by reversing it. i found it engrossing and refreshingly bold, especially in today’s political climate.

the story follows olerra, a tall curvy warrior princess from the matriarchal kingdom of amarra, who must kidnap a husband from a neighboring patriarchal kingdom to secure her claim to the throne. in amarra, women hold all the power while cis men are oppressed, valued mostly for their looks and ability to have children.

the magic in this world is granted by a goddess and is tied to a person’s true gender, not what they were assigned at birth. i really appreciated how the world-building included trans and non-binary identities, making it clear that cis men are the group being specifically oppressed. tricia did an amazing job being intentional and thoughtful in how she built this world and handled themes of systemic gender inequality.

i especially liked how when the MMC points out something messed up in the matriarchal society, there’s a clear parallel to real-world patriarchy. it makes the role reversal feel impactful and deliberate.

what fury brings is a dark romance, so definitely read the author’s note and check the trigger warnings before starting. i’m not usually a dark romance reader, and some parts made me uncomfortable, but it was still incredibly readable and held my attention the whole way through.

this book expresses pure rage at how women have been and still are treated. it won’t be for everyone, but its definitely worth reading!!

DNF at 56%. I don’t think this is getting any better.

Thank you for NetGalley for giving me an ARC!

What Fury Brings promised me women’s wrongs, not rights, and as a devoted enjoyer of unhinged, morally bankrupt dark fantasy, I was ready to eat. But what it delivered was a lukewarm morality play with the subtlety of a brick to the face.

It had such an interesting premise too. A matriarchal society! Political intrigue! Gender dynamics! I was told this would appeal to Captive Prince fans. I’m a Captive Prince fan. I was ready for psychological tension, layered manipulation, a battle of wits laced with desire.

I expected a LAURENT—regal, cunning, beautiful, deadly. Instead, I got Mr. Generic HeteroGuy, complete with Toxic Masculinity™ packaged in a trenchcoat of emotional unavailability. Spoiler: he’s exactly the kind of cishet dude you’ve seen a dozen times before.

One major issue is that the worldbuilding felt misleading. From the premise, I assumed this was a fully matriarchal world. But no, it’s actually a story about two countries, one matriarchal and one patriarchal, and the contrast is used to drive the central romance. This shift immediately dulled what could have been a much more interesting political and cultural setup. I was hoping for a male character who navigates and challenges a matriarchal world, not one who acts as a bland, conservative foil to it.

The romance between the leads is painfully dry and repetitive. They argue in circles about the same issues with no real development. It’s tiring rather than tense.

Of course, no book today is complete without getting smacked in the face by a full-blown ideology lecture. You know the type, those cringey character monologues where it’s painfully obvious the author has kicked down the fourth wall just to speak at you. It pulls you out of the narrative and makes the characters feel like mouthpieces rather than real people. Subtlety has packed its bags and left the genre. Apparently, readers can’t be trusted to interpret themes anymore; we must be spoon-fed the moral like toddlers at storytime.

Characterization is also a problem. Everyone is either purely good or purely evil. The antagonist cousin, for example, is cartoonishly villainous, openly hoarding wealth, abusing her power, keeping a harem of underaged boys, and dismantling social charity programs, all while flaunting it. It just doesn’t reflect how power usually operates in real life. Real villains are rarely so blatant. They thrive on hypocrisy and manipulation, which makes them dangerous. This portrayal, instead, feels juvenile and unrealistic.

As someone who genuinely enjoyed Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us, with its morally grey heroine and darkly seductive tone, What Fury Brings was a real letdown. This felt like ordering poison and getting flat sparkling water instead. No bite. No thrill. Just a bunch of characters moralizing their way through a plot that could’ve been great if it hadn’t been too afraid to be actually dark. Despite a promising premise, it falls short in nearly every way that matters.

I’m pleasantly surprised to inform you that this is one of the best romantasy books I’ve ever read. It’s a standalone novel that’s smart and angry, that turns the patriarchy on its head and shines a light on how women have been treated throughout history. Plus the spicy scenes are not boring for once!

The kingdom of Amarra is a kingdom of women: women are physically stronger than men; only women can own property, not men; the brothels cater only to women; men must flex and smile if a woman looks at them; and if a man makes a woman bleed, in any way, it’s an immediate death sentence for him.

Olerra is a strong warrior princess of this matriarchal society who is vying for the throne. In order to make her position stronger, she needs to marry, so she steals a man from the neighboring kingdom to become her husband.

Sanos is crown prince to the kingdom of Brutus, and he hates the backward ways of Amarran women. So when he ends up kidnapped, chained up on their soil, and informed he’s going to marry the Queen Potential of Amarra, the only thought in his mind is how he’s going to escape. He doesn’t think for a second he’s going to end up enjoying being in Amarra more than in his home country, nor does he ever expect he would fall for Princess Olerra. Oh no, he would never do that.

The slow burn in this story is believable and well written. I really loved Olerra and Sanos‘s scenes together, and I loved the progression of their character arcs throughout the story, particularly Sanos and how he starts to question everything he’s been taught about women. They slowly began to understand one another and each kingdom’s customs. It was really delightful to read.

I also loved how violent this book got. When your rage fuels your writing, it can get brutal. For example, this story features a penis guillotine used on rapists, and I’m honestly glad that was included. That needs to become normalized.

Anyone interested in reading this book needs to read the author’s note at the beginning as it gives context for why she wrote this book and what fueled her rage behind it.

I very much enjoyed What Fury Brings. It was equal parts romance plot and fantasy plot, and it had lovable characters and a different setting that was needed in the fantasy genre. I’m very happy this book is a standalone because it suits the story perfectly. I think many authors would have dragged this story out to be multiple books, but it works so well by itself and has a satisfying ending that indicates it won’t be a series.

If you’re a woman who has ever been made to feel lesser than by a man, or you’ve been hurt by a man, or you’ve been ignored or talked over or picked over by a man—this book is for you. What does fury bring? It brings this book. This isn’t a feminist book because feminism is about equality between men and women; this book is a conduit for rage and for showing what the world would look like if women were superior to men in every way.

I’m not anti-men—I am in fact married to one—but I am really happy this book exists. Even though some people won’t take it seriously because it’s categorized as romantasy, the story is still so important. It highlights many wrongs that women have had to suffer for centuries. No one bats an eye when bad things happen to women, but as soon as men are put in that same position, suddenly it’s an injustice.

“The women of Amarra became this way to counter the way men were treating them. Your sex started this. The current point, however, is that it’s ridiculous for you to be offended by the way you’re being treated when your own people practice it. It’s just always been in your favor until now.”

3.5/5

Thank you to Feiwel for the e-arc! I have read almost every novel by Tricia Levenseller so I was excited to see her step from YA to NA, and it was definitely interesting. A romantasy through and through, with political intrigue, a possible war, magic, revenge, female friendship, romance, and spicy scenes.

The premise of the novel as a whole is intriguing, and reminded me a lot of the Barbie movie with how the Barbie’s treated the Ken’s. Levenseller’s writing style is always enjoyable, not overwhelming and you can understand what is being put in front of you. The characters and world itself were fleshed out, with the occasional lore being thrown in to help understand why certain events or experiences were happening. Loved our strong female leads, they were all badass and could kick ass.

However, I did have a hard time connecting with the story as a whole. Both Orella and Sanos (and their respective kingdoms) had their faults, with Orella’s being higher up on the pedestal of respect and equality than Sanos’. Both kingdoms and characters as well evolved and tried to become better versions of themselves at the end of the novel. I just couldn’t get over Sanos essentially being prisoner this whole time. Yes, Orella respected his wishes and consent was big (which is fantastic), I just could not see how her saving his life and being nice to him resulted in them falling in love with one another. I think that needed more time to be expanded upon, because it was a little bit Stockholm syndrome esc and it did feel a bit sudden when, still as a prisoner, Sanos decides to “stick around.” Sir you are unable to leave, you don’t have a choice. It made the end when both are like “equality is the answer” a little bit off. Maybe instead of Orella kidnapping Sanos they could’ve been forced in some other way to interact and learn about each other/the other kingdoms. Perhaps a collective threat against both kingdoms? Then they can both get that evolve in mindsets/about each other/about other people I could see Levenseller was putting in.

Regardless, I still enjoyed the book! I think it was pretty well done, especially for a first NA after writing YAs. The story is interesting and the concept is not one I’ve read before. The map at the front was amazing and helped a lot alongside the terminology guide. The characters were enjoyable to read about and I was never bored, rather I couldn’t put it down I had to see how it would end. I’m excited to see what else Levenseller has planned for the future!

Okay wow. You know what. I go into books blind often. Sometimes it backfires, but other times, like this, I end up loving something I never saw coming. I applied for the ARC because that cover is stunning, and I was so excited to get approved.
This book was different. The gender roles are completely flipped, and it was so refreshing. The dynamic between the FMC and MMC had me grinning and giggling more than once. That man was flabbergasted 80 percent of the time, and I lived for it.
The FMC was strong, tall, and took no nonsense. I freaking adored her. The MMC tried to hate her, really tried, but let’s be honest. There was no resisting someone like her. His equal in every way.

This book was a darker romantasy than I was expecting, so I couldn't enjoy it. I know the author said it wasn't a feminist novel, and it definitely wasn't! But the revenge aspect of the writing was too much for me.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay let me start with I am not good at giving reviews but for this book I’m going to make the effort because Oh my god, where do I even start okay well for starters This book is an absolute gem! I think it’s safe to say that Tricia Levenseller totally nailed her adult debut with a plot that’s both sexy and empowering.
The tension, the romance, the clever twists—every page had me hooked. I could not put my kindle down I was totally immersed from start to finish.
If you’re looking for an unforgettable read with unforgettable world building and a decent amount of spice then this is the book for you I promise You won’t regret it! What Fury Brings Is definitely one of my top Romantasy reads of the year!!!
⚠️Don’t forget to read the content warnings⚠️
Tropes include
*Touch Him and Die
*Strong Female Characters
*He Falls First and Harder
*Fake Marriage
*She Kidnaps Him
*Political Intrigue


Thank you NetGalley for this Arc

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!