Listen, idk what to say. But I consumed this completely. It wasn’t always great but it never once slowed me down. I see this (presumably) standalone becoming popular! Although I’d be happy to have more romance spinoffs of it. These are great characters! And I enjoyed the spin of women being the “superior sex”. It was a very original way of things but I found interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel for providing the ARC.

I'm all for Feminine Rage: The Book™️ but I really felt like this one tried too hard and missed the mark.

This book subverts most fantasy plots by imagining a matriarchal society that uses and abuses power, just like men do in books and in life. I can absolutely understand why wanting to set a book in that kind of place could be empowering. But honestly it just felt like more of the same gross stuff that happens in other fantasy worlds, just being performed by women. It didn't feel great or even good, but just demonstrated that everyone overall sucks and doesn't demonstrate an anti-patriarchal society well.

Other than that, it is a serviceable romantasy book. The enemies to lovers trope was executed well here with a case of mistaken identity thrown in. Olerra and Sanos are an intriguing couple and their story really demonstrates how their different societies and opinions can effect everything they believe. The plot beats were pretty predictable but still fun and interesting.

Overall, I have very mixed feelings about this book. Probably not for me in the end, but there will likely be plenty of people who enjoy it.

Unfortunately I think this book is just not for me. I’ve had an arc of this for over 5 months, have picked it up multiple times, and now that it’s only a few days from its release I knew I needed to really give it my attention and it just never hooked me.

I’ve read & loved books by Tricia Levenseller before, and by no means do I think this is a bad book. I think it will absolutely have its audience and I’m bummed that that wasn’t me.

What Fury Brings is an ambitious and atmospheric story that blends gothic undertones with deeply personal themes of resilience, grief, and self-discovery. From the very first chapter, the prose is rich and immersive, drawing the reader into a world heavy with mood and tension. I especially appreciated the author’s attention to detail—whether in setting or emotion, the atmosphere lingers long after you set the book down.

The pacing, however, felt uneven at times. Certain sections moved quickly and held me captive, while others meandered and slowed the overall momentum. Similarly, while I admired the complexity of the main character’s journey, some of the side characters lacked the depth I wanted, leaving me wishing for more balance across the cast.

That said, the book succeeds in delivering both intensity and introspection. Readers who enjoy gothic drama, richly crafted prose, and emotionally layered storytelling will find much to appreciate here. While it didn’t completely hit the mark for me in terms of pacing, the writing style and thematic depth make this a novel worth exploring.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dr. Smut’s Checklist Book Review: What Fury Brings
1. Trigger Warnings: 1/1 point.
Listen. There is a pen!s guillotine for men who don’t understand the word “no”.
I don’t know what it says about me that the second I heard that was in the book, I slid into all the emails and DMs I could, absolutely begging for an ARC copy. I am a depraved little chaos gremlin what can I say.
So yeah, obviously full points for TWs.
2. Characters: 1/1 point
Olerra? My bloodthirsty queen. She said “kidnap myself a hubby” and then accidentally bagged the WRONG FUCKING PRINCE like she was drunk-ordering DoorDash. Iconic behavior.
Sanos? Sir, you walked into enemy territory with nothing but audacity, jawline, emotional damage from toxic masculinity, and rage issues. And you expect me NOT to drool? Be serious.
Both of their character arcs were so much fun to watch. Incredible.
Full point for characters.
3. Plot: 1/1 point
So the whole setup is basically “what if women ran the world… and men were the ones getting kidnapped, silenced, and punished for existing too loudly?” And it is ICONIC because once you flip the script, suddenly all those “traditional” patriarchal rules we’ve swallowed forever look even more grotesque when they’re happening to men.
It’s satire, it’s rage, it’s deliciously petty feminism with knives. And yet, it’s still a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance with delicious banter that had me giggling.
Groundbreaking. Iconic. Full point for plot.
4. Smut: 0.5/1 point
The smut that exists in this book?? ICONIC. LIFE-ALTERING. I SAW GOD.
But… there just wasn’t enough of it. So it’s half a point quality over quantity, babes.
Highlights?? How about how Olerra straight up bans Sanos from touching himself while she’s in the next room “practicing” for him. Loudly. I wish I had half the audacity of this queen.
And don’t even get me started on how surprisingly hot it was when she strings him up and ~digitizes~ him. Who even am I? Someone help me talk Mr. Smut into this.
It gets a half a point for the quality over quantity of the smut.
5. Fun-to-read: 1/1 point
It’s feminist rage but make it camp. It’s political intrigue but make it horny. It’s social commentary but make it wildly upsetting and the fact that it’s upsetting is also upsetting, but like of COURSE its upsetting. (Did that make sense? no? ok moving on.)
Did I take unhinged notes in the margins like “YES QUEEN, MURDER THE PATRIARCHY”? Yes. Am I convinced that a pen!s guillotine should be standard punishment for misbehaving pen!ses? Definitely.
Full point for Fun to read.

Overall! That’s a grand total of 4.5 stars and I’m going to give it 2 chili peppers because the spice we got was great but there was not nearly enough! Thanks to Tricia Levenseller, Fiewell, and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Princess Olerra lives in a female dominated kingdom where she is in the running for Queen. To fortify her claim and show her strength, she decides to kidnap and make her husband one of the lesser princes from the neighboring male dominated Kingdom of Brutus. Little does she know that she’s captured the heir, Sanos. He’s not letting anyone know his identity, playing his cards close. As Olerra does her best to out maneuver her cousin’s attempts for the throne while simultaneously navigating a reluctant husband, Sanos needs to assess his own future. Will these polarized kingdoms and personalities come out stronger in the end or will they destroy each other?

This was a quick, entertaining romantasy with a generous helping of spicy dominant female scenes. The author explores what a society would look like if male and female roles were reversed and leads us to a place where understanding and compassion knit differences together. At times the greater world building was weak and characters roles were very transparent, but if you are looking for a straightforward, spicy romance in a fantasy world, pick this book up. The reader knows who to despise, who to cheer for and will enjoy it. 3 stars.

This is an honest review based on a digital Advanced Readers Copy provided by Macmillan - Feiwel and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was very excited to receive this ARC until I wasn't...The world didn't make sense, the people were not it.

“Instead of making the world a better place, your ancestor flipped it,” Sanos said.
“Yes, for that is what fury brings.”


Yes. Yes. Absolutely positively 110% yes.

In the midst of everything that’s going on right now, there is no better time to read this book.

Think our world right now, but reversed.
Women are in charge. Full of power. Leading the armies. Men are on their knees, at their feet, and cater to their women. Men whose seed is ONLY for their one woman, even if it is a harem of men. Guillotines for pen!ses, especially for the r@pists.

I mean, truly, the book had me at peepee guillotines. But the rest was so powerful, I devoured this in one sitting.

Olerra was quite the fmc - she’s a bad bitch, strong in her own way, and doesn’t need the goddess’s gift (something given to women in her country) to overtake ANY man. No one knows this, though, so she trained to be strong and resilient regardless.

Sanos, the crown prince of the opposing country, a country that still treats women like property and hasn’t changed their ways, was stolen one drunken night. Mistaken for his younger brother, he spends quite a bit of time as “Andrastus” under Olerra’s thumb as she tries to “housebreak” him.

It was not only truly entertaining, but enlightening and encouraging as well. Seeing such a man down on his knees, or begging for her? Yep. Count me TF IN.

Also, she knows where the prost@te is. That was hot. He loved it as much as I did 🥵

What Fury Brings, by Tricia Levenseller, is a feminist empowered romantasy adventure featuring a general who kidnaps and trains a husband in order to claim her place as queen. This is a land where men are scarce and women rule. With their limited numbers, the women must secure their line by capturing men from other kingdoms. This story flips the power struggle between men and women and it’s not always to read when the discrepancies are highlighted in such a way, but that is clearly the point.

What Fury Brings has treachery, romance, action, suspense, a strong social message, conflict and some content you may want to check ahead of time. The plot is fast-paced, the conclusion is satisfying and the story is entertaining.

This book was interesting in that the society of Amarra is ran by women, with men taking the submissive role women traditionally play in a patriarchal society (and most Romantasy books). The pacing felt a bit slow to me. Definitely gave the feminine rage noted in the blurb and other reviews.

While some of the earlier reviews mentioned how dark this book is, I didn’t find it near as dark. It is certainly a dark fantasy romance, but nothing incredibly triggering.

Overall, solid story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

3.5 ⭐️ I think, but I’m a little conflicted with this!!

For me, the first 50% was hard to get through. I did read the author’s note, I know exactly what she was trying to accomplish here! I’ve felt that same rage many many times - it’s almost constant in the world we’re currently living in - but it was surprisingly tough to read about in reverse.

I obviously wouldn’t wish how I’ve been treated on others or for the scenarios I’ve been forced into onto anyone else. And I’ve read dark books before, that don’t flip the table as this book does, and have never had this issue. Maybe because I get to feel rage with the MC and root for her success and revenge? But there was something about this being in reverse, that made the reading experience feel so off to me personally. Maybe it was being pigeonholed into feeling rage for men of all people lol or how much the Amarran society was built on the oppression of them? I don’t know and should probably do more self reflection on it haha but it just felt a bit idk icky to me unfortunately - but I guess that’s how you should be feeling for anyone who is treated in that way!

With all of that being said - Levenseller did include warnings that this story wouldn’t be about equality, but about revenge! So I have no one to blame but myself for somehow being put off/shocked at the content lol

I did warm up to this book in the second half though! There was more focus on the characters and plot, than the world building and examples of inequality in the Amarran society haha so I was able to get out of my head a bit more and focus on the actual story!

I really liked both main characters separately. Olerra was strong, strategic, and vulnerable - a fantastic combination, on top of the body inclusivity rep which was so incredibly refreshing!! Sanos was stubborn, but the growth he had as he was opening up to new ideas gave me a spark of hope for humanity. He was called broody, but he didn’t feel like your typical, cliche, morally gray love interest.

However, I didn’t feel as much of a spark between the two of them as I have with the MCs in Levenseller’s other books! Maybe I was already too taken out of the story with my feelings in the first half? Idk but it ended up being a bit disappointing.

5/5 ⭐️! A Romantasy unlike any other I’ve read!
I’m going to start off with THIS BOOK IS NOT GOING TO BE FOR EVERYONE, then again, not all books are. This one though, was for me. I devoured this book 🤭🙌🏻. It was very entertaining and I would happily reread it again. Not just for the message within it, but also for the vibes. In its own way, this book is a fuckin masterpiece 🤌🏻. It’s a bit unhinged and I loved every minute of it. This book contains explicit content so please, please, please check trigger warnings before reading. Thank you to @NetGalley , Feiwel New York, @Macmillan Publishers and @Tricia for the gifted eARC

Nope. Nope. Nope.

This book is the down fall of humanity. Revenge porn with a fake plot. No thank you. Good luck.

Immaculate, no notes!! Tricia Levenseller always makes me feel feminine rage in the best of ways.

I was sold from the author’s note!! The main country in this book is not a reimagining of society run by women, but a reversal of societal norms so women are the ones with the position to abuse power. The title comes from a conversation about power dynamic; vengeance is “What Fury Brings.” There is a whole lot of feminine rage here and I love it!

Women are in charge, in power, and that frustrates our MMC who comes from a patriarchal country. I love the arguments between the main characters that are specific to their fraught situation and secrets, but get deep and reflective about how all humans should be treated.

💙 feminine rage
💙 sister-chosen (can I use this now??)
💙 mistaken identity
💙 fighting for succession
💙 secrets
💙 “swear on something that matters”
💙 angry, futile men
💙 challenging paradigms
💙 creative bedrooms activities
💙 “so what?” <— favorite line of the book. You’ll understand when you get there.

Some excellent quotes:
- “Men were unfit to rule. They were easy to provoke, and they always thought with their cocks instead of their heads, which was why they were better suited to the bedroom.”
- “I would not step on you. I would have you rise with me until we are both gloriously untouchable.”
- “I will do nothing. I will stand here and show my support.”

Thank you MacMillan and Netgalley for the ARC.

First and foremost...read the authors note at the beginning of the book. I see too many reviews that have rated this low because they didn't read the note and no clue what they were getting into or read the note but glossed over it thinking it won't be that bad.

Tricia does a great job of flipping the patriarchy in this book. Is it uncomfortable at times? Yes...but it's supposed to be. There are some things I can't read...r*pe and anything bad happening to children on the page are hard passes for me. These topics ate brought up and there are insinuation but nothing happens on the page.

It was refreshing to read about an actually strong FMC. Hiding a secret, she goes on a quest to gain favor in her kingdom to be chosen as the next heir to the throne. She kidnaps a sexy brute from the neighboring kingdom who isn't who he seems to be....queu a delicious, slow burn hate-to-love romance. I loved that this was a standalone because its been really hard to find those in the romantasy realm lately. I found myself cracking up at the MCs confusion after being kidnapped and the FMCs confidence while doing so.

"We've a bit of a journey ahead of us."
"There is no fucking wa---"
She gagged him.
🤣🤣🤣

Overall I enjoyed myself. It was a quic, fun read with some good twists and turns, especially in the second half of the book.

First things first read the author’s note at the beginning, this is a dark romance. This is a society run by women it is matriarchal society that shows even that has problems that we feel we wouldn’t. This book was fast paced and I loved that Olerra is a curvy girl. There are parts that are hard to read with how men are treated, knowing how that is how women are treated. But that is the point of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Holy smokes. First off, Tricia Levenseller is one of my favorite authors so I was stoked to get an ARC. But nothing prepared me for the masterpiece I was about to read.

Powerful women, literally an army of them. A stubborn prince. A women lead kingdom. Romance. Spice. Feminine rage. Justice.

This book has everything I could have asked for in a fantasy novel, and executes it to PERFECTION. I am struggling to express how much I thoroughly love this work of art, but all I can say is read it.

If you liked the Cruel Prince, Ember in the Ashes, The Grishaverse, or literally any other book with a powerful heroine, you'll 1000% love this one too.

This is a 6 star read and will highly recommend it to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to Net Galley for sharing an ARC of this title with me! This was such a good palette cleanser and a fun and easy read! What Fury Brings focuses on a strong and self-assured FMC who is competing to be the chosen princess for a Matriarchical kingdom. In an effort to put herself ahead in the running for the crown, she decides to steal a husband from a rival kingdom, which is a common practice for her people, except things go awry. I enjoyed the banter between the FMC and MMC, as well as the build in their relationship throughout the book, though I do think at times the focus on the romance and particularly the sexual intimacy was a bit heavy handed and left the overall plot behind, With that said, I recognize that it was likely intentional based on the message that the author was trying to send in flipping the script from traditional romances and fantasy novels - This time the women are in charge!

Overall I had a great time and will be keeping an eye out for more adult books from Tricia Levenseller!

Okay… What Fury Brings just claimed a top spot on my 2025 favorites list.

Tricia Levenseller gave us a matriarchal kingdom and I am thriving. The worldbuilding felt so fresh for romantasy. It reminded me of Wonder Woman’s Themyscira mixed with the Dothraki horde, but it is entirely its own savage, intoxicating creation. I was hooked from page one.

The representation is top-tier: LGBTQ+ characters, a diverse cast, and plus-size rep that felt natural and celebrated, not tokenized. This world felt like it could actually exist, which made it that much more powerful.

And let’s talk about the romance: Princess Olerra + Sanos = my new fave romantasy couple. Their tension is completely off the charts. Their banter is delicious. Their development is phenomenal. I loved how their relationship kept me on edge and delivered all the slow-burn tension I could ask for.

The tropes were some of my favorite parts. The gender swap on some of our favorite tropes (like the kindap trope) felt fresh and clever, and this is a true enemies-to-lovers romance with incredible tension and payoff. And yes, the spice delivered. My Kindle was blushing.

Other highlights that deserve a shoutout:
The warrior culture that was both brutal and empowering
The political intrigue that kept the stakes high without overshadowing the romance
Battle scenes that felt cinematic and intense
Side characters that added depth and humor, not just filler

If you want an emphasis on fierce morally gray warrior women, a romance that makes your heart race, and a world you will not want to leave, this is it. Tricia Levenseller created something truly unforgettable and I will not be shutting up about this book any time soon.

I'm really not sure what I just read. Basically take your standard romantasy, but I stead of the men doing the kidnapping, killing, using, taking, etc, it's the women. The women are in charge, they have the power, and they hate the way the patriarchal society has left them here to the way things are. While Olerra doesn't agree with a lot of the way things are, she strives to change it while also proving her strength over and over again.

When she kidnaps the prince, she begins to train him in their usual way, but she realizes that there's something else to him. She just doesn't realize how different he is from what she expected, because he isnt the prince she intended to steal. While spending more time learning about each other's cultures and as individuals, they realize their goals aren't so different.