First, a huge thank you to Tricia Levenseller, Macmillan/Feiwel, and NetGalley for selecting me to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m so grateful I got to experience this debut adult romantasy early.

Let’s get this out of the way: What Fury Brings is not a lighthearted romantasy, but I also wouldn’t call it dark. It sits in that razor-sharp space between - bold, provocative, empowering, and thought-provoking.

The setup is intriguing: in Amarra, a matriarchal kingdom where men are scarce after a failed rebellion, women claim their husbands by kidnapping them from rival nations. Olerra, a warrior princess determined to prove herself worthy of the throne, sets her sights on the perfect target: the second-born prince of her Brutish enemy. Docile, handsome, and supposedly pliant... he’s meant to secure her claim by stealing him away to be one her husband and "breaking him" to accept Amarran ways.

The premise itself is bold: Amarra is a reverse reflection of our society, where many of the struggles women often face in our world - rape, abuse, sexualization, being minimized - are instead inflicted on men. It’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and brilliant - it forces you to sit with the question: why does it shock us when women treat men this way in Amarra, but not we turn a blind eye for the many women for whom this is a reality in real life?

It's not just Sanis carrying a secret that he holds out of fear for what would happen if Olerra and the Amarrans learn the truth. Olerra? She, too, carries a secret that could destroy all she’s worked for, even as she seeks to carve a new path for herself, her people, and the future of her country.

This book is daring, romantic, and layered with questions about power, gender, identity, and choice. It has high stakes, rich worldbuilding, a fierce heroine, and a romance that burns bright in the midst of turmoil. The only thing I do wish is that we'd get to see a bit more of the character transformation at the heart of this novel - Sanos and Olerra acting on the changes they wish to see in their worlds.

Overall, 3.75 ⭐ - definitely worth a read!!

I DNFed this at 40%. I was just not connecting with the character or storyline enough to want to finish it. I think the main thing is the FMC. From what I understood from the marketing is that this is a female rage novel and based on the author's note and what I read in the book I don't think this is a feminine rage novel for the FMC because she was not angry or upset or even actively fighting back against an oppressive system or person. I think instead this is a female rage response kind of novel from the author and how sick and tired she is of how women have been and continue to be treated in the world. But the FMC is not angry, she does view the system as having faults mainly around young boys in the harems, but she isn't even trying to currently stop those matters because she wants to wait until she has the political power to do so. But there are still many parts of this system she is okay with based on how she views men and responds to the "husband" she kidnaps. She uses the system to oppress her husband not just for political gains but because she views it as the right way bc men are inferior. I mean she even pierced the man's body without his permission bc she liked the look, and it had nothing to do with politics and just her desires. If she was truly angry at the system, she would at least in private recognize and give this man autonomy. Instead, she disliked certain parts but as a whole she benefited from the system and believed in it. In the end I went a whole day not thinking about this book and had no desire to pick it up or even finish it so decided to just DNF it.

Never got to read the book. I didn’t download it in time but it did look interesting and has been getting decent reviews on goodreads.

I wanted to love this so much, but it fell below my expectations. The story felt rushed, the romance was lackluster, and the characters had limited growth. Overall, it is a solid story, but nothing felt memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel for a chance to read and give a honest review of an advanced copy of this book.

Olerra is a warrior princess determined to prove her worth and make a difference despite her shortcomings when she kidnaps her future husband. She’s fierce and cunning but not without self doubt. I enjoyed seeing her journey to self worth.

Sanos has been groomed his entire life with abuse to be exactly what his father wants him to be—a hardened warrior, emotionless and alone. Determined to keep his father’s wrath away from the people he loved, he endures it all.

This was definitely a unique read. Two kingdoms oppressive towards the opposite sex— 1 ruled by an abusive, violent, tyranny king while the other ruled by a queen seeking retribution for what generations of women have dealt with. It was interesting to see the power play between both kingdoms. I definitely would have loved to see some of the change they planned for after witnessing everything. All in all it was still a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the arc!

3 stars ⭐️ Dark romantasy with a gender-flipped dystopia 🗡️

Fast-paced & easy to read, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going at first… the early themes were intense and unsettling. Once the FMC’s deeper motives came through, I got more invested! It’s a harsh world driven by feminine rage, with moments that push your comfort zone.

I liked it but didn’t love it. If you’re into fast, dark romantasy where men pay the price, it may be worth a try.

Check trigger warnings! The ending and epilogue wrapped things up nicely, and now I’m curious to explore Levenseller’s YA books too. This is her debut adult novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC✨

3 stars ? 2 stars? ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book leaves me deeply confused. Did I love it or hate it? I have read the entire pirate king series and always enjoyed Tricia’s writing style as it is fast paced and quick. There is little fluff and wasted words.

However, what Fury brings left me reeling. I did read it on a long car ride home.

This is a dark Romantasy.


What Fury Brings is marketed as a feminist “flipping” of the patriarchy, but instead delivers a dark, disturbing narrative filled with abuse, humiliation, and violence against men, treated as normalized. While the author’s note claims this is not how a female-led world should look, the book itself lacks critical reflection or meaningful critique of power structures. Instead of feminist empowerment, it reads as dystopian cruelty. I really had quite a difficult time getting through the first half of the book that read extremely cruel .

The romance feels ethically and emotionally unconvincing, as it hinges on a relationship between an abuser and her captive. After the captor is mocked and humiliated and assaulted at the beginning of the book.

The ending, which suggests equality through surface-level gestures, fails to address the deep trauma and systemic abuse depicted throughout the story.

Ultimately, the biggest issue is the disconnect between marketing and content. Readers expecting quirky or lighthearted romantasy will instead find dark themes involving severe humiliation and pedophilia. This is not a typical romantasy but a dark romantasy, and it should be marketed clearly as such with proper trigger warnings.

I love, love, loved this book! The plot locked me in from page one, and spit me out a new person on the last page. The characters became real to me and will live in my brain forever. The setting was tangible and perfect. The pacing was riveting, but not rushed. All coming together to be a book I can't wait to recommend to my friends.

Warning: This is definitely an Adult book, not YA. Olerra must kidnap a husband to show her strength to her people so that she will be named heir. Unfortunately, she steals the wrong prince. Instead of kidnapping the spare she grabs the heir which risks starting a war, but she doesn't know that she has gotten the wrong prince.

Sanos doesn't have a ideal life in Brutus being beaten by his father. Nevertheless, he is enraged at being kidnapped and looks for chances to escape almost constantly, but the women of Amarra are always one step ahead of him. He refuses to be wooed by Olerra until he learns the reasons that she wants the throne.

⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️ Female rage at its finest. Imagine a world very much like the island nation of Themyscira (Wonder Woman/Diana Prince—rings a bell?) where only women rule. They are unnaturally strong, have the powers of Goddesses, treat men like slaves/dogs and use them for their own pleasures however they see fit. It’s an interesting take on a matriarchal society that flips the coin on our current social system & tackles the gender norms.

In What Fury Brings, Amarra is a place where women rule while men endure. It’s full of anger, rage and spice. It’s quite original and grabs your attention with all the gender dynamics. Levenseller created a story where historical roles are reversed, simply giving us something to think about—how the world would look like and how does it feel for men to walk in our shoes for once? I thought it was a brilliant take on system reversal and makes one truly think about all the crap women have to endure.

“Men had to be controlled or else they would seek to control women”

The fact that it’s a fast read earns more bonus points. The story is catchy, it’s full of sexual tension and the concept is engaging. I enjoyed the mental and physical strength of Olerra, our female protagonist. She kidnaps an heir from another kingdom and makes him her subservient. She shows her power not through her upper hand/physicality but more through her strong mindset and her inner thoughts/monologue. She’s a true leader (but with a secret) at heart whose true power comes from her inner strength and wit! I absolutely loved that about her.

Olerras relationship/situationship with Sanos was that of an immediate attraction & this is where Levenseller lost some points from me because it felt insta-lusty but did get better as the story progressed. I think a slow burn would have made this book better because it felt very rushed in the romance department. People might feel that some of the intimate scenes were too graphic but after all this is about female rage and desire. I thought with the entire flip-the-switch, the portrayal of female dominance in the bedroom was absolutely appropriate and definitely spiced up the level.

The ending was kind of like being on a speed train. One, two, three..done. Concluded well, just a tad too fast.

I would have liked to see more dialogue between the love interests through out the entire book & most of the time it was sexually charged (not complaining) but it did feel like something was missing. Overall I really enjoyed & devoured it, but had a hard time rating it.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and the author, Tricia Levenseller for this eARC!

Publication date: September 23, 2025

Thank you for the e-arc of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t like it very much and I wish the author nothing but the best going forward.

"What Fury Brings" is the first book I've read by Tricia Levenseller. As the blurb mentions, the story takes place in the kingdom of Amarra. If women want to have a husband, they have to kidnap them. This is the case for Olerra, a warrior princess who is competing for the title of heir. Olerra sets her sights on a prince from the neighboring Kingdom of Brutus. While she does kidnap a prince, it couldn't be a worse situation for him.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that Olerra is a strong, beautiful, independent, intelligent woman who does what she has to, to get what she wants. Through the storytelling, you can tell that despite her strength and beauty, she does have insecurities and she seeks to resolve those insecurities by marrying someone of nobility. It was interesting seeing the relationship develop between Orella and the prince.

While not as romantically spicy on page as other romantasies I've read, the attraction is very present. It was a very slow-burn romance due to the kidnapper/captive plot, but once both realized the attraction, the sparks fly.

What could use some improvements was the world building. The history of Amarra and the differences between Amarra and Brutus was great to read about, I just wish there was a bit more descriptive passages so I could picture the world on page.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. As a debut adult novel from Tricia Levenseller, I think it's a great start and I look forward to reading other books by her.

2.5/5

This book was trying real hard to hit everything that makes romantasy, romantasy. The way it swaps traditional gender roles in romantasy books was really interesting the way it was executed was blunt and not really the same how other authors romanticize and put light the dark aspects of stories, like kidnapping, degradation, and things like that. my low rating is because the characters are very meh and to on the nose for stereotypical fantasy characters that there is no unique personality and then MMC the same as well. the Dual pov in this story is really great to understanding the two different cultures of the the kingdoms. but the MMC is literally called a "Brute" from the kingdom of Brutus. overall I really wanted to like this story but it just fell flat in so many levels.

Such a good book!! Enemies to Lovers, but women are the more powerful sex. Such a great change in perspective! I would recommend this book to anyone!!

I enjoy this book. It is different compared to all the other romance fantasy’s I read it is definitely mind twisting how she made the one country where all the females are in charge and the males are the second rate citizens the slow burn tension was done great loved the ending just a good read and the story entertaining

I want to first thank Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. I was so excited to read this book based on the synopsis I had read. I was immediately drawn in to the writing, I love a strong FMC. I didn't realize the level of spice that would be in this book, which I have not been a fan of lately, however, in this book, it was really well done and not cringy. I do feel as though the switch in the MMC, when he finally realized his feelings seemed to be more of a light bulb moment, but I was really rooting for them as a couple so I could forgive that. All the minor notes listed, I was a big fan of the premise of this book. Having gender roles reversed and highlighting what women have dealt with on a daily basis be shown in the male gender was just top notch. I have not stopped thinking about this book and have recommended it to everyone I know. I am looking forward to the official release and fully plan to purchase the book for my library.

Idc what everyone else says I liked this book.

A freaking PENIS GUILLOTINE lmao!

It’s not supposed to be an idealistic world, it’s a world where women did exactly as men have done for CENTURIES. Child marriage is only when the child is a girl, infidelity was not only punished but some women would be sequestered away while trying to get pregnant with nobility so they knew the child was really noble.

You want feminine rage? This is what feminine rage would be if they turned the tables.

Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC, this was epic.

eh.

this isn't a bad book nor is it written poorly. i've read only one other tricia levenseller book and find myself with the same problem. not only did i want more, i wanted it to be less about the romance and more about the world. olerra is an amazing character, but while the story went on, while this dance between her and sanos continued, I was actually so bored. it was a redundant story that i still wanted to see through to the end, and as much as i loved olerra as a FMC, it read like a poorly written BLOOD OF THE SANDS meets BRIDGE KINGDOM when it should have exceeded both of them.

still good enough to read through however. just had way too high of the expectations when i dove into this.

What Fury Brings hooked me with its premise. The idea of flipping the familiar romantasy script, where a woman is the one kidnapping a prince and forcing him into her world was such a thought-provoking setup. I loved the way it pushed me to look at some of those tropes we see all the time in a totally different light.

Olerra, our FMC, is a warrior princess determined to prove herself and lead, even as she carries the weight of scars and ambition. She kidnaps Sanos, a prince from another kingdom, and from there the power struggle begins. Sanos, the prince she captures, has every reason to hate her kingdom and resist her, and yet his resistance slowly cracks in a way that feels raw and complicated. Their dynamic is full of tension and mistrust, and that’s where the story shines the brightest.

The world of Amarra is harsh, matriarchal, with a patriarchal feel, and deeply flawed. The customs and laws are unsettling, and putting Sanos in the position we often see heroines endure really brought that imbalance into focus. The worldbuilding works, especially when contrasted with Sanos’s homeland, Brutus, though I would have loved just a little more time spent exploring both places in depth.

For me, the biggest thing was that while the premise is fantastic, I don’t know if it fully landed. There were moments where the story, the emotional beats, and even the characters themselves could have gone deeper. It reads more like new adult romantasy with strong mature themes, which isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes I found myself wishing for just a bit more weight and complexity. Knowing this is the author’s first foray into adult, though, it makes sense, and it feels like a really strong foundation to build from.

The pacing works overall. It takes a little time to settle in, the middle lingers here and there, but the ending delivered the action and choices I wanted.

Overall, I enjoyed what was being done here. What Fury Brings is bold, fresh, and thought provoking, even if not every piece clicked perfectly into place. It’s a story that asks questions about power, morality, and what we’re willing to sacrifice, and that’s something I can appreciate in any romantasy.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Publishers, and Feiwel for the ARC and the chance to dive into this one early!

First off, huge thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for sending me a free ARC of What Fury Brings in exchange for an honest review! Before diving in, the author herself said: please check the trigger warnings, and also clarified this book is about revenge, not feminism. Fair enough—I saw the warnings, thought “okay, nothing wilder than other dark fantasy I’ve read,” and I was ready for a fierce revenge story. The first few chapters? Amazing. We’ve got a kingdom called Amarra where men are scarce, so women literally have to kidnap their husbands. I was like, hello?? Fresh idea, let’s go! Then we meet Olarra, the warrior princess MC, who decides to secure her throne by stealing the second-born prince of an enemy kingdom. But she messes up and grabs the first-born instead—aka Sanos, who’s trained to fight, hates Amarra’s system, and is absolutely not here for her plan. At this point, I was all in. Give me slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, give me political drama, give me Olarra’s throne and some juicy revenge.

But then… everything took a nosedive. Instead of showing me what a matriarchal society could look like, the book went straight into a dark spiral of systematic degradation and torture of Sanos. And I mean *degradation*. The premise was such a good setup, but the execution made it feel like the point of the story wasn’t about flipping gender roles or even exploring power dynamics—it was about breaking this poor guy down until he had nothing left. That’s not what our society looks like, and it’s not a one-to-one reversal of women’s experiences either. It felt less like social commentary and more like straight-up cruelty for shock value, and it really turned me off.

And yes, technically there’s a romance subplot. But when you’ve got your love interest chained, humiliated, and held captive, it stops feeling like slow burn tension and starts veering into Stockholm syndrome territory. So every time the romance “progressed,” I just couldn’t buy it. Like, how am I supposed to swoon when I’m still cringing from the last scene? I wanted to root for Olarra, but her choices and the world around her just made the dynamic with Sanos feel wrong, not empowering.

All that said—the premise? Brilliant. The cover? Drop-dead gorgeous, golden perfection. The execution? Sadly, not for me. If you’re picking this up hoping for a sharp, thoughtful matriarchal society with political intrigue and badass women calling the shots, that’s not really what you’re going to get. What you will get is a brutal, revenge-heavy story in a world where men are treated as lesser beings and abused. If that’s your thing, you might vibe with it more than I did. But for me, this one was a miss.