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A review by valpyre
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
[audiobook]
[minor spoilers]
i liked this a lot more than i was expecting! i think certain parts of the plot got lost and muddled between the switching of the two povs, and the intense worldbuilding (which i enjoyed and found interesting), so i still find myself a little confused about the angelic wars and what angels are, exactly. but overall, i found both characters much more compelling than i thought i would have.
on paper (no pun intended) i can understand that the characters seem overpowered and uninteresting but something about both rielle and eliana's emotional states over the course of the book was really interesting to me and endeared me to them. i especially liked eliana's compartmentalization of her work as a bounty hunter, and her action scenes were really exciting and showcased her versatility and quick thinking as a fighter.
the magic and religion of the world in rielle's time was really cool as well -- i often find that, in fantasy books, authors use magic lingo that's childlike in simplicity or that is way too complicated, and i think legrand found a good balance with the inclusion of seven separate elements and saints to go along with them. this really set a good foundation for the setting.
im still unclear on how queerness is taken in this world -- some of eliana's comments make it seem like it's queer-norm, but tbh, it's all in passing, and there's only one explicitly queer side couple. also tbh the poly vibes were off the charts in this book, but never came about.
overall, it was a really enjoyable listen (though 17 hours was a lot) and im so excited to get into the sequel!
[minor spoilers]
i liked this a lot more than i was expecting! i think certain parts of the plot got lost and muddled between the switching of the two povs, and the intense worldbuilding (which i enjoyed and found interesting), so i still find myself a little confused about the angelic wars and what angels are, exactly. but overall, i found both characters much more compelling than i thought i would have.
on paper (no pun intended) i can understand that the characters seem overpowered and uninteresting but something about both rielle and eliana's emotional states over the course of the book was really interesting to me and endeared me to them. i especially liked eliana's compartmentalization of her work as a bounty hunter, and her action scenes were really exciting and showcased her versatility and quick thinking as a fighter.
the magic and religion of the world in rielle's time was really cool as well -- i often find that, in fantasy books, authors use magic lingo that's childlike in simplicity or that is way too complicated, and i think legrand found a good balance with the inclusion of seven separate elements and saints to go along with them. this really set a good foundation for the setting.
im still unclear on how queerness is taken in this world -- some of eliana's comments make it seem like it's queer-norm, but tbh, it's all in passing, and there's only one explicitly queer side couple. also tbh the poly vibes were off the charts in this book, but never came about.
overall, it was a really enjoyable listen (though 17 hours was a lot) and im so excited to get into the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death