Furyborn | Review

Greetings readers!

Three months ago I was  blessed with getting a chance to read this anticipated 2018 title early, but because I suck at managing my reading, I totally forgot I had it! WHAT?!? Am I disappointed that I didn’t read it earlier? Yes and no. Yes, because it was quite good. But, no because I have less time to wait for a sequel. Hehehehe.

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

via raincoast.com

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pub Date: May 22, 2018 (Today!)
Price: $16.99 CAD (pb)
ISBN: 9781492673002

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world… or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed… unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable-until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world-and of each other.

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BUY IT!

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*I was provided and e-ARC by the publisher via Netgalley. This does not influence my opinion!*

This book has a lot of hype surrounding it with very good reason. It is incredibly fast-paced, there are many twists and turns, and the magic is quite a wonder in itself! I love all things YA Fantasy so of course I just had to pick this one up and I was not disappointed!

What I Liked:

Characters & Dual-POV:

I have to say that I was quite surprised at my reaction to the dual-POV. Usually, I tend to care more for one POV and focus on that while trudging reluctantly through another perspective, but with this book I looked forward to both stories. There was never a time where I felt the need to skim just to get back to another character because I *needed* to know about both! I think that had a lot to do with my love for the main characters, Rielle and Eliana.

Rielle started off as my favourite just because she was mischievous and had this “innocence” to her in the first chapter (the prologue is a little something else…). I really did pity her because her life was a lie and a secret, and the people closest to her might have resented her for that. Eliana on the other hand, turned out to be my favourite by the end. She was not a *good* person in the traditional sense. A liar, a murderer, a thief and many more terms synonymous with dread, but I love a good redemption arc!!!!! Both girls had their distinct personalities and mind sets that often led them into deep trouble. The one thing that they do share is that they know what they want, and they do what they need to get it.

Then there other characters like Remy, Zavi and SIMON. Remy is a precious bean, whom I love and needs to be protected at all costs. Zavi is still a mystery to me, I feel like there is not enough yet known about her and she is going to play a bigger role later on. Then we get to SIMON because he deserves all caps. I don’t even know what to say. He’s just really great. Another precious bean. Corien is trash.

The Plot & Writing:

I enjoyed the plot for the most part. Legrand’s direction was quite clear and her writing wasn’t too complicated. I didn’t think the major jump in time/era was confusing, since both societies were quite distinct. I am, personally, a huge fan of “fulfilling the prophecy” plots, it makes the book like a guessing game and I love it when my theories are correct! I also love “trials of magic,” I am such a complete sucker for those and this book has that so…!!! As for the twists, they were very twisty, perhaps not as shocking as I had hoped, but they did still have a big impact on the story that are setting up good things for the sequels.

There were even little history snippets before every chapter, which I LOVE!! It sets up the chapter for you, so you can kind-of-sort-of-not-really brace yourself for what it to come.

The Magic:

I thought that the magic was excellently done! Let’s bring back the age of angels, please!!!! My sister was a super fan of paranormal angel books and it became a guilty pleasure of mine when I was younger. When I first read that this book had angels I was a little hesitant, but I really did like their purpose and history. If you are a fan of the classic elements with a bit of a twist, I think you would enjoy this.

The Prologue: 

Now I’m just rambling, but I really loved the prologue. Let the guessing games begin.

The Romance:

It was fine. I wasn’t really too into it, which is shocking for me. The ships were cute. There was one that evolved much faster than the other and watch out for chapter 41, ’tis quite–quite–steamy. The other romance was enemies-to-lovers and I. Am. A. Sucker. For. That.

******************* Spoiler – Highlight to read!***************

>|Harkan is so not dead, people. And this is gonna come back to bite us in the butts. |<

**********************End of Spolier**************************

What I Disliked:

I have to knock off one star, for the sole reason that I’m having a hard time believing this book to be memorable. The story while I was reading was quite good, but I could spot moments when I could put it down and just stop reading. There was no intense need to get back to reading. It had its fair share of dull moments and this was quite a large book.

The ending was also a bit…meh for me. There was no shock or complete rush of adrenaline. It just ended. I can actually wait for the sequel, despite how much I want to know more about these character. That is never the greatest sign.

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Overall, I did enjoy this. I am looking forward to the sequel, although I might be in need of a reread when the time comes for the next book! The characters are what really made this book for me since these girls were just so epic and unapologetic.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Recommend: Yeah! It’s like super hyped, but I’d say give it a go if you love fantasy (and angels!)

Let me know what you think! Have you read it? What did you think? Who was your favourite character? Who was your least favourite character? Rant to me, I am ready!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz