Reading the synopsis of this book made me immediately want to pick this up. A matriarchal society in which women are the dominant sex and noblewomen steal husbands from foreign royal families? It’s absolutely refreshing and intriguing in the best way. I didn’t know how this premise would be executed, and after reading it… I can say that, while I had a lot of fun and laughed at some of the outlandish situations, this was more of a novelty quick read (at least for me) than anything else.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy myself. I did. I really liked learning about this world and how it functioned, especially seeing gender stereotypes and expectations flipped on their head. It was fascinating to explore how the kingdom of Amarra and its society developed into what it is.

I also loved the FMC, Olerra - a tall, full-figured woman with battle prowess, cunning, and strength, but still possessing a certain softness and empathy. It was delightful to see a fantasy heroine with that kind of physical and emotional range.

And the smuttier scenes were great fun! There was one in particular that really took me by surprise (in a good way!) and made me think, Yes, we need more of this in fantasy romance. It was hot, bold, and fit the story well.

Now, coming to the aspects that didn’t quite work for me:

While seeing a matriarchal society and its intricacies in a fantasy romance novel was an interesting novelty, I’m not sure I loved the way it was executed, particularly in how the power dynamics played out.

One element that left me conflicted was how Amarra’s matriarchal system resulted in the mistreatment of men. Olerra explains that this structure emerged after centuries of oppression against women, and once they were literally empowered by a goddess, they rebuilt society in their favor.
I understood the logic and symbolism behind this reversal, especially as a commentary on how often heroines suffer in patriarchal fantasy worlds, but I still didn’t find it satisfying to watch the same cycles of harm repeated. It didn’t feel like justice or progress. It felt like a flipped version of the same cruelty (something the MMC points out himself multiple times). It made me reflect on how normalized it is to see female characters suffer in fantasy, but also how deeply uncomfortable it is, no matter the gender, when abuse is used to maintain power.
I wish the story had offered more critique or nuance around that idea. While the FMC did express notions of wanting to rebuild and change these aspects of her world, I guess it still felt a little too hollow to really resonate.

The romance, too, didn’t fully convince me. I enjoyed Olerra and Sanos’ humorous interactions and chemistry, but when their relationship turned more serious and their bond turned more romantic, something felt missing. I think more time spent building out their emotional backstories would’ve helped deepen their connection. As it was, it felt a little surface-level.

All in all, I appreciate this book’s unique setting in a genre like fantasy romance, which often feels overly familiar and trope-filled. While the execution didn’t always land for me, I still had fun reading it. I sincerely hope more published authors take creative risks like this! Even if it doesn’t fully work, it’s always exciting to read something different.


Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan|FEIWEL for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller was a fun, fast-paced read, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The premise was promising—a matriarchal society where women kidnap husbands to maintain power, and our fierce princess Olerra decides to abduct an enemy prince. It’s a great setup for tension and drama.

I enjoyed the banter between Olerra and Sanos, and there’s definite chemistry between them. Levenseller knows how to write compelling, high-stakes romance, and there are a few genuinely swoon-worthy moments. But despite the strong romantic tension, I couldn’t help feeling like the story leaned too much on familiar tropes.

The pacing was also a mixed bag. Some plot twists happened so fast they barely had an impact, and I found myself wishing the story would slow down and dig a little deeper. Certain character decisions felt a bit too convenient, and I would have liked more exploration of Olerra’s and Sanos’s backstories.

Overall, What Fury Brings is an enjoyable read with a unique premise, but it didn’t quite live up to its potential for me. I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for a fast, slightly steamy romantasy, but it’s not one I’ll be rushing to reread.

Thanks Netgalley and Macmillian for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to Macmillan, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

On the surface, the premise of feminine rage and a female General kidnapping a husband to help her bid for becoming the future Queen, super intriguing and something I could get behind.

in execution, and I fully acknowledge this is addressed by the author upfront, I'm less into simply flipping the narratives and structures of power and maintaining the same level of misbehavior and inequity and abuse. I didn't find it particularly empowering or exciting: hurt people hurt people, but have they considered therapy and a better path instead? Like, doesn't the concept of women only being stronger than men because of *jazz hands* magic undermine the narrative a little?

Appreciating that this was a standalone, I would have liked to see more of what was hinted at when it came to dismantling both systems of some pretty terrible behavior. I think some more development and editing would have helped make this more compelling: I generally liked Olerra and Sanos but everything felt superficial and I wasn't quite convinced of their chemistry or conflicted relationship.

Definitely one of the more unique reads for me this year, overall well written even if I wasn't the biggest fan of the content, and I do genuinely appreciate the opportunity to read something that wasn't a grab bag of tropes loosely strung together. I hope publishers continue to support and encourage the opportunity to market and publish content outside of what can be condensed into a cute emoji laden checklist.

I tried really hard to enjoy this. The Daughter of the Pirate King is one of my favorite books of all time, and I have enjoyed other books by this author. However, this was just too intense for me. I understand the message, and the goal, but it just wasn't the right fit for me. I think that a lot more marketing for this book should include the fact that this is not like Levensellers other books so all readers are aware going into it. I won't be reviewing on my socials as this includes too many topics which my followers may be sensitive to and don't feel comfortable recommending or otherwise reviewing this book.

TLDR: not a bad book per say, but not the right fit for me.

Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I truly don’t know how to rate What Fury Brings. If I could, I wouldn’t, because I feel like I’m not the target audience. I love romantasy. I love Tricia Levenseller (I’ve read all her books, and Warrior of the Wild is my absolute favorite). So, I went into this expecting a lighthearted, quirky romantasy with a feminist twist. Even the premise, kidnapping men to find a husband, sounded cheeky and satirical.

But I was so, so wrong.

This book is marketed as feminist, a “flipping” of the patriarchy. But that’s not what it is. Amarra, the nation we explore, is a horrifying replica of everything that has ever been wrong with patriarchal societies, only the roles are reversed and the abuse amplified. Men in chains. Men gagged. Men sold at auction, starting from the age of thirteen. Men kept in harems, humiliated, raped, abused. AND THIS IS TREATED AS NORMAL.

I know the author states in the author’s note that this is not how a world led by women would/should look, but this kind of reflection is entirely absent from the actual narrative. There is no dismantling of beliefs, no meaningful interrogation of the system in place. And that’s the issue: without that critical lens, this novel doesn’t read as a critique of power structures. It’s not feminist empowerment. It’s dystopian cruelty, unchecked and unexamined. It's gratuitous hate and violence.

And that’s the worst part: the book not only fails to question this system, it excuses it. I quote: “I’m not saying it’s right. Just that there is a reason for it. […] If we don’t dominate men, they will go back to oppressing us. We must behave to protect ourselves.” This situation is horrific. This is not the answer to all the harm that has been perpetrated on women and other marginalized groups.

The male-led nation is called “Brutus,” and the author wants us to believe that the men there are the villains. But they’re not. The female-led nation is the real villain, and yet no one seems to realize it.

And how are we supposed to believe that a prince, humiliated and abused, would fall in love with his captor, especially when she accepts and even justifies the status quo, with questionable intentions of changing it? How can that be resolved emotionally and ethically in the span of 360pages?

I don’t think it can.

And what was that ending? Are we really supposed to believe that by having the man walk down the aisle, wearing a dress and a bit of makeup, the patriarchy is flipped and the protagonists are somehow equals? I don’t think so. I also couldn’t help but notice how conveniently the author avoided explaining how two nations as fundamentally different as Brutus and Amarra could possibly merge, how they could overcome such deep-rooted hatred, trauma, and the systemic abuse of the other sex. That part was simply glossed over. And frankly, I’m not sure it can happen. How can there be equality when neither side has done the necessary work to question, unlearn, their misconceptions? Love is not a magic solution, and the book itself even says so in the line I quoted earlier.

I want to be clear: I love a good female rage and I don’t have triggers, I can read anything, but I do need to know what I am getting into and the trigger warnings did not prepare me for that. I was completely taken by surprise by the massive gap between the marketing of this book and its actual content. I want to know when I’m entering dark territory, not discover I’m already deep in it when I’m 20% into the book.

Readers deserve to know what they’re getting into. This isn’t cute or subversive. It’s dark. It’s disturbing. And it’s only for a very specific kind of reader. It is not your average romantasy.

Please, market this book correctly. Call it what it is: DARK romantasy. And include proper content warnings for severe humiliation and pedophilia.

Okay, so I’ll be honest, I was reading three books at once… but guess which one kept pulling me back in? Yup. This one. I already adore Tricia’s Daughter of the Pirate King duology and The Shadows Between Us, but this?? This was a whole new level. Her adult debut absolutely screams “F*** the Patriarchy” and I was living for it.

Olerra is a general in a matriarchal kingdom where women rule with literal goddess-gifted strength. Men? Very much on a leash. Our girl isn’t gifted, but she’s determined, strategic, and so freaking fun to follow. She decides the best way to prove herself worthy of the throne is by kidnapping a prince… only, whoops, wrong prince. And suddenly we’re served an actual enemies-to-lovers slow burn with political drama, feminist rage, humor, and yes… a penis guillotine. I said what I said.

This book is sharp, hilarious, and positively addictive. If you like your romantasy bold, a little unhinged, and empowering as hell—this one is so worth it.

I CANNOT wait to see her at the event!

The idea of a feminist romantasy storyline easily grabbed my attention. Sprinkle in an enemies to lovers romance, yes please.

I can understand the intent of some behavior displayed by the matriarch in order to match traditional patriarchy abuse, but was a little disappointed in the constant unnecessary brutality. It felt like too much emphasis on how to break and humiliate the MMC entirely, and that wasn’t really the empowering plot I was craving. I hoped to see more significance in what we could gain from women owning their power instead.

I did thoroughly enjoy the writing, and found it hard to put down once I began reading. This idea felt new and refreshing. I had a great time watching the ending unfold and appreciated the emphasis on equality, just wish this was a bigger theme throughout. I would love to see a sequel and where the kingdoms go from here.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

What Fury Brings
Tricia Levenseller
3/5

I was SO excited to read this type of narrative. Women being the stronger sex? Yes! However, the farther I read, the more uncomfortable I got.
I can absolutely see the logic behind the overall idea of "I was oppressed, therefor I will oppress due to my fury (hence, the title). However, my version of feminism doesn't involve treating all men the way some men treat women. I understand the rage, the desire for justice, etc. My version just includes being better than they were (more quickly than 500 years later). Though, I can get on board with penis guillotines for the rapists.

The ending, (while slightly predictable) was enjoyable, and did bring my overall rating up by half a star.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Macmillan for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! At this time, I do not plan to publish a review anywhere other than Goodreads, due to the rating I gave.

I made it to 20% before DNF-ing this one, and here is why. Here is also why while this book might not be for me, you might love it!

Things I enjoyed:
-The cover and sprayed edge design shown is wonderful and genuinely a work of art
-The premise
-The introduction had me giggling and also very intrigued and interested
-There were some portions I quite enjoyed for the dialogue and descriptions.
-It was formatted properly for an enjoyable ereader experience.

Things I was neutral about:
-The length, this seems like a fair length for a book

The reasons I DNFd:
-The writing style overall did not work for me. I wanted to be able to get into this one, but I continued to feel detached. I could not figure out why this was.
-When I went to check the reviews for this book, I saw a reviewer mention pedo****** and I do not know if that was mentioned in the content warnings, but this is a specific piece of content I would personally like to avoid.
-I found myself feeling uncomfortable reading this, versus feeling intrigued.

For the concept alone and the brutality that came with this story (it felt real, and harsh, and I enjoyed that portion, I hope that makes sense), I need to give this one three stars. I am still curious and want to check it out once it releases purely due to the cover and I am someone who reads horror and splatterpunk so violence and gore are not new to me. If I adjust expectations going into this one (not that this is that extreme, but I do not think I was quite prepared for this violence and gore level), I think this would be a really fantastic read. For now, I am soft DNFing.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

I struggled with this one a little bit because I think it suffers through the trend of having a "powerful" FMC just for the sake of it and not actually for the story itself (sorry for the run on sentence).

I feel like the romance could've been better?

I don't know...I was hoping the FMC would be different or at least written well, but I was wrong...don't know if I'll continue....

DNF at 12%.

Unfortunately I missed a pretty big trigger on the trigger list at the beginning of the book. It's one I have no tolerance for, so I won't be finishing this book.

I usually adore Tricia Levenseller's books so I hope this is a good one for those that can make it past the trigger warnings.

Projected rating of 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

What Fury Brings is a refreshingly fierce twist on the romantasy genre. Tricia Levenseller delivers a story brimming with chemistry, power dynamics, and a clever subversion of traditional gender roles. Olerra is a commanding heroine with heart, and Sanos’ evolution from resentful captive to something far more complicated is both fun and satisfying to watch. The worldbuilding feels fresh, and while some pacing stumbles occur, the tension—both romantic and political—keeps the pages turning. A strong adult debut that leaves you eager for more.

Holy COW spectacular!
Reverse roles was insightful and very well done.
I love Olerra. Everything I want in a heroine.
Strong, confident, brave, saucy, and brilliant.

Wow wow wow. Tricia did not come to play and she delivered an amazing romantasy novel!!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

What a HIT! Now give me every edition please!!

Thank you Feiwel Books at Macmillian for this free EARC gift on netgalley!

I really wanted to love this book, and I tried.

My issue with this is, it started with funny one liners that men use against women in a "haha the roles are reveresed", but it wound up just being feminine rage that felt mean spirited. I was unable to finish because it started to feel to feel like it was all rage with no purpose. There weren't any periods of reflection or any accountability for these characters, so I decided not to finish. I loved the premise of this, but the execution was lacking for me.

Okay I have complex feelings about this book. I ate it up in a day because it was such a compulsive read. The dark romantasy vibes with true enemies to lovers had me hooked. The inverse sexism was my favorite part of the story. It was so satisfying to see all the discrimination women field on a daily basis be turned on men instead. The premise was fantastic but the execution left something to be desired. In order for the enemies to lovers to really work for me I needed more time for the story to be fully developed. They both needed to unpack internalized beliefs about their societies and there just wasn't room for that to happen in a standalone. The female rage piece was satisfying but it was genuinely uncomfortable to watch Sanos be humiliated and restrained by Olerra and that never gets questioned by the narrative. If we had time to see them both unpack their beliefs and then work to change the system I would have been more satisfied. As it was the romantic development was rushed to fit the timeline of the story. Although attempts were made to show that she respected him it was hard to fully believe that when her treatment of him earlier in the story gets brushed under the rug. I'm all for a female rage book. But with the state of the world where it is now I need more than just fury. I need to see that rage motivating actual change. Otherwise it's just a different flavor of the same frustration we have in real life.

I made it about 13% of the way through this book and even though it's early before a DNF, I just really don't like this. I'm not quite sure why. The structure of the society doesn't bother me -- nothing has happened to men at this point that hasn't happened to women but for some reason the vibes are just not there for me. I do love some of Tricia's other books so I'm going to tap out of this one before I end up not wanting to read future books from her. Rating two stars because I do believe this book is for someone, just not for me.

This book was so satisfying. I enjoyed it a lot, every trope subverting, female rage laced page. I giggled at the parts that felt like they were born from years of eye rolling frustration at female objectification, and I immediately messaged my friends that they need to add this to their TBR. It's incredibly easy to cheer for Olerra & want her to win. This book is pure fun!

I enjoyed this ARC of What Fury Brings. It was an interesting concept, but I feel like the story and the world building could have been more detailed. A solid read.

Somebody needs to give Tricia Levenseller an award or something She knocked it out the park with this book. What Fury Brings was so original and unlike anything that I have ever read before. The plot, characters, and world building were out of this world and were the reason I fell in love with this book. I love that the author made it that the men were the weaker/ less superior gender. Almost all books make women seem weak and like they're worthless, so it was nice to see the roles reversed for a change. This was truly a great book and will be recommending it to my bookish friends.

Levenseller’s adult debut is a whip-smart, blood-soaked reversal of gendered power dynamics with a romance that’s as emotionally layered as it is gloriously unhinged. Think: “The Witcher” meets “The Selection”, but gender-bent and dipped in feminist rage. We all love feminine rage.

“What Fury Brings” is about Olerra, who is a sword-wielding queen in r making with zero time for patriarchy. Then we meet Sanos, who is the brooding himbo who gets kidnapped, emotionally rearranged, and reluctantly seduced into feminism. Seriously, it was unexpected but still authentically the Tricia Lavenseller way. Much long her YA books, her new adult debut still gives exactly the same vibes. Powerful FC with a down bad man.

Equally satisfying for romantasy fans and those of us who live for books that challenge power, pleasure, and tradition. I think this will likely be the next big fantasy. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks!