bookloversofi 's review for:

Furyborn by Claire Legrand
4.0

I enjoyed how this story is told, we go from the past to the present with a thousand years of distance between one chapter and another and that has been super entertaining for me to read. This book is a great adventure with very strong female characters and that's great, but at the same time I think it's unnecessarily long and can become heavy at times. I don't madly in love with this book as other people are, but I do think that the idea is very good and creative

description

3.5/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.


The story follows Rielle and Eliana two independent and strong young women, separated by centuries of distance, who have the power to save their world or destroy it.
Rielle sees his best friend in danger and doesn't hesitate to help him, but in the process she exposes her ability to control the seven types of elemental magic. The only people who should be able to control such power are a pair of prophesied queens: a Queen of Light and a Queen of Blood. To prove that she's the Sun Queen, Reille will have to test her magic through different types of tests and if she can't control it, she'll be executed.
A thousand years later the story of Rielle is a mere fairy tale for Eliana, when the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she decides to dedicate her life to violence to keep her family alive. Until one day her mother disappears along with other women in the city and to find her she joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil in the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined ...
The stories of both girls will cross and the incredible connections between them will determine the destiny of the world


description

The story sounds without doubt incredible, right?! I think that although it has many magic aspects that we see quite often in fantasy, it's still a unique and original idea. I think that everything is very well thought out on by author from the magical aspect to the connections between one time and another. I'm not used to reading a format in which we read the story of the main characters a thousand years apart from each other, that was something really new for me, but even so it worked and ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the book. On the other hand I think that at the beginning it's somewhat difficult to keep the rhythm between one chapter and another, remember everything that is happening and the names and all that stuffs, so it can be a bit overwhelming but once you continue it becomes easier to move forward in the story.


I'm a bit surprised by the sexual content of the book, I think that to be Young Adult it can be a bit excessive, even when the main characters are between 19 and 20 years old. So I want to warn you in case this is something problematic for you. Personally the sexual content is not a problem for me if it's well managed, although I must admit that in this book I couldn't help but feel how all the characters are quite sexualized, maybe too much


I'm not sure how I feel about the girls, there were times when I loved Eliana and then she did something that I didn't like and then I loved Rielle but then something happened and my thoughts changed, I know it sounds very confusing but it's real lol.
I think they're very complex , intense and above all very dramatic characters. You can't stop reading about them, but at the same time you feel that you don't agree with their personal attitudes and decisions since most of the time they're both very impulsive, you know?. I think both characters were built with the intention that been controversial and that although they can be unlikeable at times even then you can't stop reading about them.
Now that I have finished the book I think that I definitely don't have a favorite, although I enjoy a little more of Eliana's point of view, I couldn't fully commit myself to anyone

In summary, the most interesting about Rielle is her connection with magic and watching her learn and interact with her mentor was something that I enjoyed a lot. The most interesting of Eliana, on the other hand, is that undoubtedly is the protagonist of the best action scenes and her chapters have a mystery/intrigue aura that make it very addictive to read


The first pages of this book are pure fire and they hooked me completely with the plot, it's an incredible way to start with a book, I think it was so successful that I can't stop mentioning it


I want to talk a little about the bisexual rep in the book that everyone has been talking about.
Personally I feel that it wasn't explored in a very deep way, which I would have loved to see, since It's not common for a main character in fantasy to be bisexual. I think the subject is mentioned at some point but there is not much happening, so I want you to know that if you're looking for a strong bi representation in this book I don't think you really get one

description

I think it's a pity that the author has made this book so long, I know we all love a hugh book if the story is extensive and needs a great development, but personally I don't think this book needs 500 pages, I think it would have worked better if was shorter because the plot is undoubtedly catchy, but there are scenes that really are no more than filling and make the book heavy and boring and I really don't think that a story so well thought out deserve that, you know?

Finally the end of the story is very good, I enjoyed the last chapters and the revelation was very ingenious, I didn't expect it at all and I loved that.


After all this I still recommend the book if you like dual points of views, if you enjoy strong and independent female characters and especially if you like action and magic. I think that although I had some obvious problems with it, I think that most of them are very personal and maybe they don't prevent you from enjoying it. I can't stop mentioning that it's a very long book so if you plan to read it you have to know that you have a long way to go and you'll have to make time for it.