A review by booksofgeorgia
Furyborn by Claire Legrand

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

When I came across ‘Furyborn’, it was marketed as a stunningly original fantasy with strong female characters, their stories intertwined but separated by centuries. It definitely lived up to this description, though I don’t know if this unique idea was presented in the best way. 

I generally like books with dual or multiple POV chapters, but I did not find that it worked well with ‘Furyborn’. It is one thing to share the views and experiences of multiple characters living in the same place and time - but this was so much more complex. To explain the differences in the world of Rielle and Eliana across centuries, effectively means you’ve got to worldbuild and info dump for the reader twice. Because of this, I didn’t feel like I was able to really connect with the characters until much later in the book than I normally would. Part of me wonders if the dual character storylines would have been better executed as a book staged in parts, rather than alternating the POVs of the main characters nearly every chapter. 

That being said, I was enraptured with the world of ‘Furyborn’, particularly during Rielle’s time. From the different saints, to the cleverly-named temples and power wielders, and even the Queens of Prophecy felt unique (when prophecies can often feel cliché). My favourite of these being the names ‘Sunspinner’, ‘Windsinger’, ‘the Holdfast’ and ‘the Firmament’.

There were plot twists and reveals that I certainly didn’t see coming, and by the second-half of the book I was really intrigued with the events both Rielle and Eliana were experiencing. I also really liked all of the side characters that formed the friendship circles and travelling parties of the two main characters. 

Despite taking a long time to connect with Rielle and Eliana in book one of this trilogy, I’ll definitely be sticking with them in the next books! There’s so much left to be discovered with the two of them and I need to know what happens to them both!