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fouillis 's review for:
What Fury Brings
by Tricia Levenseller
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to the publisher Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This had a fun premise and some spicy potential, but it didn’t quite land for me.
I liked the idea of flipping the “kidnapped princess” trope on its head, and the story moves at a good pace. Olerra and Sanos are both strong-willed characters, and there were moments where their dynamic sparked in interesting ways. But for a book so focused on politics, power, and dominance, it often skimmed the surface instead of digging into the deeper implications.
The relationship dynamic (to me it was clearly a slave/master setup) needed more thought and nuance. Sanos ends up happy in his situation , but the lack of meaningful discussion around consent, power imbalance, or actual character growth left me uneasy. Add to that some very modern details in a vaguely medieval fantasy world, and it felt a bit all over the place.
Not a bad read, and it might work for readers who enjoy fast-paced fantasy with bold ideas and don’t mind some shaky worldbuilding. But I hoped for more.