I was very excited to read this when netgalley approved my request! And it did NOT disappoint! I devoured this. Especially because it was so interesting how Tricia Levenseller built a world where women are the stronger sex.

All in all, it was entertaining and I enjoyed it. And yes I would recommend this but read the trigger warnings before you dive in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an ARC of this in exchange for a review!

I really wanted to like this. I’ve liked the authors previous stories, and I was excited to jump into her first adult novel. The premise is very enticing and I was very interested in ready a flipped-script narrative on how women have been treated or viewed, and this missed the mark for me.

I read the authors note and the trigger warnings, but still wasn’t prepared for how dark this was. It didn’t read like the “revenge on men for how they’ve treated women” idea that I got from reading the synopsis and even the notes and warnings. Instead, it was just “let’s enslave and torture a different gender and make it okay because men did worse 500 years ago in this story”. Maybe it would’ve been different if this story took place right after an uprising where the women got fed up and got their revenge. That at least would’ve made more sense as to why the women in this matriarchal society are STILL treating men like dogs.

I do understand the concept, I truly do. But to me, this was no different than reading one of the stories where the same happens to women. I didn’t feel empowered or “yes you go girl” like I wanted to, instead I was just grossed out that humans would treat other humans like that, even in a book. If the women had gone through what they’d went through, you’d think they’d shoot for a more peaceful society after enacting their revenge and making sure men wouldn’t oppress them again. But I’m not sure that becoming the oppressor is the empowering thing that this book tries to tell us it is.

Regardless, I tried to hold out hope for our FMC. She grew up in this society, and I was hoping that meeting Sanos and getting a man’s perspective on how what they’re doing was wrong would help grow and evolve her character, but it didn’t. She had a FEW lines where she mentioned that she didn’t agree with some of the stuff that happens to men, but then goes and treats Sanos like an animal without a second thought. We barely saw any guilt or fight in her to maybe realize that she was also contributing to the problem in their society. I wanted more complexity in her character, but she fell flat. I wanted her to be the one to change the way things were, and she said she wanted to, but her actions to Sanos and how she even spoke to him for a majority of the book contradicted that. It would’ve been nice to see some development and growth where they could both learn from each other and be greater rulers together.

Even their romance wasn’t my favorite, though. I’ve read plenty of stories where a girl is taken or in the wrong place at the wrong time and meets the broody bad guy and eventually falls for him. It’s a trope that’s pretty common in romance these days, but this crossed the line for me. The FMC emotionally abuses and humiliates the MMC and says she wants his consent but also does MANY things she shouldn’t without caring if he’s a willing participant or not. And Sanos didn’t have as much of an issue with it as he should’ve.

Their progression happened quickly and in a really weird way, too. I feel like we never got to set them actually start developing feelings for each other. It started out as lust and attraction, and then with just a few minutes of conversation total on the page, they know each other so well and love each other? Sanos just decided that he loved her and needed to “get over” how she treated him? And then after he gives into his desire once he suddenly worships the ground she walks on? It didn’t make any sense to me and felt like a very surface level relationship. Why couldn’t we see more conversations with them? Where they open up and start to realize they’ve both been masking how they really feel about the world they live in? I feel like they had so much potential but it was all lost in the talk of sex, as if that was the most important thing to them.

The ending also felt quite rushed. We’re meant for believe that Olerra had a huge conflict where she didn’t feel like enough, but it was revealed and didn’t even end up mattering at all. Sanos also had this secret built up, but it was yet another conflict that was quickly and easily resolved. It would’ve been nice to sit in that betrayal and lies for a little bit, and they could’ve deepened their relationship some more.

All in all, I believe that this concept had potential, but it fell flat. I think this story focused on the wrong things. It seems like the idea should’ve been for women to take the power back and show men how powerful they can be as leaders, but they just turned around and treated the men just as bad as the women in their history were treated. This wasn’t a story of empowerment, just a story of women treating men like garbage and getting away with it because “men do it, too”. I almost feel like this book SHOULD have taken a feminist approach, or at least had the FMC striving for equality and peace a bit more, and it would’ve been maybe a more hopeful tale instead of the dark romance that it is.

Stick 👏🏻 with 👏🏻 this 👏🏻 book.

What Fury Brings flips the patriarchy on its head, with the women being the more controlling and brutal sex. If the brutality of the oppression described makes you uncomfortable, GOOD. It should!

Most importantly, we should be reflecting on why instead of outright icking it.

“Most in my country believe that if we don’t dominate men, then they will go right back to oppressing us. We must behave this way to protect ourselves … What reason is there for the way the men of your country treat women?”

It’s not a feminist manifesto; it’s feminine rage morphed into a large-scale revenge fantasy. And I enjoyed the ride.

I liked the characters and the core relationship as it grew. Just wish there was a liiitle more meat to that piece of the journey to better counter the power imbalance.

Overall, the risks paid off in my eyes. I hope readers give it a chance!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan | FEIWEL for access to the ARC!

Wow, this book was... a lot. It's brutal and gritty and downright unpleasant to read at times (the sheer degree of violence and torture was hard to stomach) - but I think it's also an incredibly impactful book to read. It completely flips the script on the patriarchal, male-dominated world that we live in and is also the standard in most fantasy books. I don't think the book needed to be as graphic and cruel as it was, but this book isn't pretending to be something it's not -- Tricia Levenseller directly sets the expectations of this book, stating in her note at the beginning that the world she created isn't just a female-dominated society, but one where men are essentially slaves. The author took inspiration from every time men have demeaned her throughout her own life, and spun it into a world that is quite, quite extreme. So, yeah, even though I had fair warning beforehand, it didn't compare to the book's raw brutality.

The frustrating part is that I know in my head that woman across all societies and cultures throughout history have been made to do many of the things that the men in this book did, so I should feel a sense of "justice" in seeing the roles reversed. Maybe in some ways I did, but I think all it did was make me pity and feel such anger for those men in the books rather than feeling some kind of vengeance or a reflection of what it means to be a woman in society. At this point, I'm unsure of what my own reactions to this book mean and how I should feel about them. It's definitely made me think a lot.

What I did love was how in the kingdom of Amarra, every single woman is blessed by the goddess to be stronger than the men. In battle, the Amarran woman are unbeatable and can physically overpower all of the men.
That, I'm on board with - it's totally awesome and the type of role reversal that you never see in books. I kind of wish that that was the extent of it, and that we could've just seen a bunch of badass women without the slavery, sexual and physical abuse, etc. The relationship between Olerra and Sanos was heartwarming, and it was interesting to see how Sanos eventually came to accept the societal norms of Amarra - but not without some severe, severe emasculation and humiliation that was cringey / hard to read at times. But hey, he would literally die for her and he underwent one of the most impressive character arcs I've read to date!

Quite plainly, my feelings on this book are very complex and I myself am confused by them. What Fury Brings is a one of a kind book and definitely an important one, but for me, its goriness partially obscured the powerful message it was meant to convey. Again, it's an important and empowering book - just heed the trigger warnings.

Thank you so much to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is Tricia Levenseller's best book. I am SO thankful she decided to dip her toes into adult fantasy because it fit my tastes so much better.

What Fury Brings is a lot of feminine anger. Justified, most of it. Olerra lives in Amarra, a land where women were given the power of overpowering men and as such, the men serve. In the lower classes, this may just appear as more attentive husbands, but in the noble classes, men seem more like slaves.

Olerra plans to kidnap a noble husband from the royal line of the neighboring land of Brutes as ‘breaking’ such a husband (the Brutes are a male-dominated fighting society) this will be a point in her favor when it comes to being elected crown princess. She succeeds, but unbeknownst to her ends up with the wrong prince. And the story unfolds.

Readers who don’t read the author’s note might be surprised that this story toes the line between fantastical romance and a much darker novel. For that reason, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It does subvert the patriarchy, but it doesn’t really show a better society with women in charge—just a subverted one.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was hooked by Chapter 4 (about 15% in)– I read this book in a day because I was so riveted by the creativity of the plot and even more so how much character development there was from both the FMC and MMC (mainly the MMC). I won’t provide any spoilers but I will say the level of empowerment I felt after reading this made me feel like I could conquer a mountain!

Thank you for allowing me to be part of the ARC community!

The first chapter was just not appealing to me. I could not immerse myself into the story. I made the mistake of reading the author’s note and it really turned me off to the story. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely a book with heavier themes and would recommend reading the triggers before continuing. That being said, I did enjoy this book overall, thought was a unique romantasy. Though flawed, I do appreciate the author's attempt in creating a world that features a matriarchal society where women are the stronger sex and men are weaker in every possibleway. I liked that are FMC is giving strong warrior princess vibes with a heart of gold. And I like that our MMC challenges her but also is able to think in real time about the flaws of his patriarchal kingdom. I think one of my negative points is that the main characters understanding that their two kingdoms are flawed could have been expanded upon more. I feel like there could have been a deeper story if that was leaned into more.
I don't think story is for everyone but I do think that this will hold up well with those that understand feminine rage and want to see things turned upside on society.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What would the world look like if women ruled the world? If men were considered the lesser sex. Orlerra Corasene is the Queen Potential of Amarra, a kingdom ruled by women. She makes the decision to kidnap her future husband from a neighboring hostile kingdom to try and secure her role as Queen. But when she unknowingly kidnaps the wrong prince, it could have dire consequences.

I knew I was going to love this book when I read:

“It was hard for Orlerra not to laugh at the thought of a king on the throne. 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 loved the concept of this book. A world ruled by women. A total flip of the world that we as women live in. It was fantastic to read a FMC who was a larger woman, who was sexy, and confident with herself. She was a badass and knew it. I also loved how Sanos grew as a character throughout the book, learning that maybe the way that he was living wasn’t exactly as kind as he thought he was.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc copy of What Fury Brings. I enjoyed this book. It was a world flipped around. Women are in charge and are basically womanizers reversed. The story was decent. The spiciness was there. I'd call it mild spice. The FMC was great. I like it when they know what they want and just take what they need. Sanos the MMC was just really a blah character. I did not enjoy him very much. Let's just say this story could have been different maybe better if he had told her who he really was. Alas, I'm not a writer and I think she made this story short and sweet for purposes of moving on to the next character in the series.

This book flips patriarchy — women are the strong rulers and men are the oppressed. It’s dark, messy, and totally addictive.

Olerra, a warrior princess, kidnaps the wrong prince and sparks fly. The story has politics, villains, spicy scenes, and a curvy heroine you’ll love.

I stayed up until 2am reading it. The chemistry didn’t totally hit for me, so I gave it 4 stars, but the plot surprised me.

Heads up — this book is adult with heavy themes. Read the author’s note first.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel for the ARC. All opinions are mine.

I was super excited to be selected for an ARC of this book, especially since I usually enjoy works written by Tricia Levenseller. Unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing it. I really tried to push through, but it just wasn’t clicking for me. The concept had so much potential, but I found the execution really dehumanizing. It was frustrating to see women in the story not grow or evolve, even when given the chance to build something better. Instead of learning from the past, the new society felt just as stuck.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the opportunity!

This was a very interesting read for me. While the synopsis had me intrigued, I dont think I was ready for the actual vibe of the book. This was the type of plot I thought I wanted, but how interesting that when it came, it felt odd. Not the writing, not the characters or the world - nothing was wrong with the book at all, it just felt a bit uncomfortable because of the gender swapped dynamic. Which really made me think -- what was it about the swap that was uncomfortable? And what about it in its more common form (male dominate society) that felt comfortable? That spurred a lot of thoughts on just how ingrained some of these elements of patriarchy are to the point that it can impact our moral compass. That shook me a bit. So overall - good book, lovely writing, but be ready to confront your feelings on society and gender roles!

I think this book is going to have a lot of feelings about it- if you are someone who is easily offended by certain plot lines (like if Firebird was a no go for you) then maybe skip this one. If you are looking for a completely gender-bent dark romantasy where the society is ran by Amazonian type women and men are basically slaves, then you will 100% eat this up. It takes a lot for me to be offended by a book, so I was able to enjoy this quite a lot (I’m prefacing this because I made the mistake of reading a lot of negative reviews and I am convinced half of those didn’t finish the book at all). We have two warring lands- the Brute and Amarra, which was formed by a goddess and essentially became a haven where women rule and have the gift to overpower men physically to keep themselves and their land safe. A lot of the atrocities that they commit are fairly identical to what men to do women in real life, so it’s pretty morally grey. Is it retribution or are you doing the same harm they’re doing? But I personally believe in supporting women’s wrongs, so I was mostly here for it. The spice was pretty spicy for me- and I was intrigued in the way the story portrayed how all women were taught about pleasure before ever losing their virginity. Our main character was very confident in most areas and that area despite her being a virgin was both empowering but also a little comical. I loved that the royals dress their harem of men up to be beautiful and they spend their days doing what the ladies in court would do. The tension between Olerra and Sanos was a slow burn and o was enjoying it but then it went full speed out of nowhere so I was taken aback a bit
by that, but overall enjoyed how everything turned out in the end. I have purchased two of Tricia’s other books for their sprayed edges but haven’t gotten around to them yet, so this was actually my first time reading her work. I’ll be moving those books up my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan | FEIWEL for the free ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF @ 40%

This started off so strongly because of how unique the storyline is.. but the further I went into this, I couldn't do it. First off, I usually enjoy romantasy books that have a stronger plot aside from the romance and while the messaging of this was strong - it is very romance/ spice heavy. And the romance & spice felt very immature to me. I just don't think this one is for me, sadly.

Second, the synopsis really got me excited about this book and I loved how the women were the strong ones and the men were considered "weak". I thought it was so interesting that the women had to kidnap a husband but I think the writing & story just wasn't executed well enough for me.

I do think some will enjoy this though, so still give it a shot.

This book doesn’t just sidestep the patriarchy—it sets it on fire. It flips the fantasy script by replacing the archetypal brooding male warrior with a fierce, complex, and deeply human female lead. In a genre often dominated by male saviors, this is the feminist fantasy we’ve been waiting for.

Amarra is the kind of world you don’t just read—you inhabit. The world-building is rich, layered, and alive, drawing you in with its history, politics, and magic. But it’s Olerra who truly commands the page. A formidable force both mentally and physically, she’s not only a warrior in the traditional sense but a woman of integrity, compassion, and quiet strength.

A gripping, intelligent escape with heart, grit, and brains to match.

SPICE: 3🌶, RATING: 4.25⭐️, VIBES: powerful heroine ⚔️ immersive fantasy 🌍 feminist fire🔥

Tricia Levenseller is an all-star. I fell in love with her storytelling in Daughter of the Pirate King and longed for something as exciting and fantastic but with a some spice... and here it is!! What Fury Brings was thrilling and magical but also...hot. She writes such likable strong female characters who are leaders, fighters, and clever thinkers. This was wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate it!

Olerra, the warrior general princess of Amara, fights for her rightful place on the throne against a conniving cousin and her ruthless mother. There's also Sanos, the eldest heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, who has endured years of abuse under his cruel father, King Atalius.

Olerra's plan to secure her throne involves kidnapping a husband. She picks her enemy's second born son, the seemingly soft and poetic Prince Andrastus. However, in a twist of fate, it's the wrong prince who ends up in her carriage after a drunken night out with his brothers. Sanos, fueled with hatred for the Amarans and terrified of what his absence might mean for his loved ones, plots his escape and resists Olerra's forced marriage plans. Yet, as days turn into stolen moments, he begins to see a different side of the warrior princess, finding himself undeniably drawn to the fierce woman who kidnapped him.

I never read any of Tricia Levenseller's books before, but I can say that this was great. The perspective of flipping everything in our patriarchal world to what it would be if women were the physically powerful ones who were in charge. This is dark, bold, and challenges the norm. I didn't find this uncomfortable at all, but rather powerful and full of emotion. This is how women have been portrayed and treated since the beginning of time. It was a fun ride to see the gender roles reversed.

This was such a unique fantasy with a matriarchy instead of a patriarchy, and I found it so interesting to see a female dominated society side by side with the MMC's male dominated society-- lots of food for thought! I am a big fan of Levenseller and always enjoy her books, and this was no exception! I had a great time reading.