Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

22 reviews

heyheyhailey1's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Rielle and Eliana are two badass mfs and fmc. Books like this that alternate POV move so so quickly it keeps the excitement up the entire time. Sometimes the back and forth was too much for me so I would read a few of a single POV and then go back and read the chapters about the other character. I’m not patient enough and dying for the drama !! Sue me!!

Rielle: I loved that we know from the start that Rielle has the most powerful magic to ever exist and follow her journey to learn how to use it. This is my preference compared to the “just a girl that doesn’t know her own strength” version of this trope. Romance Spoiler:
Rielle and Audric are HOT together. I am unfortunately obsessed with this young man, he is down so bad for her and I LOVE IT!


Eliana: Assassin with a conscience? YUUUUUP Morally grey? YUUUUP Hit now ask questions later? YUUUUP. The world is more than she ever imagined? YUUUUUUUP!

I will be reading the next one as soon as I can get my hands on it!! 

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kitkatkatdog's review against another edition

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

3.5

Meh. I love Rielle, and she might be the only reason I continue. Eliana just doesn’t hit the same. But the last few chapters she started to get me so we’ll see if she grows on me in the next one. Also, holy shit, Angels? Did not expect that.

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celestecurls's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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volanscore's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Furyborn was so amazing in nearly every aspect. It was really a unique take on the all-powerful saviour trope and Rielle’s chapters were a delight to read. I can say i did enjoy Eliana’s chapters, but U wasn’t a fan of the character herself which would be alright if U wasn’t subjected to her subtle genocidal mindset. Referring to refugees as the ‘living dead’ and making them seem a waste of time, being responsible for 5he death of a child, and wanted to slap an old woman made me absolutely sick of Eliana, even if she is to undergo development, which she doesn’t in the first book at all really. The whole Simon x Eliana romance spark at the end was so random because it was born from him telling her that he was 8 and helped her escape Corien when she was a newborn???? Not to mention, Eliana thought about stabbing Simon every 5 lines so her very sudden shift in opinion of the man instead of something more coherent and gradual was also not to my taste. Despite this, I had such a fun reading experience!

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yriax's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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rbjennings's review against another edition

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

5.0


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booksandcooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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kathrynleereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

“Some say the Queen was frightened in her last moments, but I like to think that she was angry.”

Furyborn follows Rielle and Eliana, two powerful women living 1,000 years apart as they find themselves facing the same enemy and facing the same prophecy.

The prophecy foretold the fall of the Gate, behind which Rielle and Eliana’s ancestors locked away the Angels.

“You will know this time by the rise of two human Queens-one of blood, and one of light. One with the power to save the world. One with the power to destroy it.“

Right off the bat, Furyborn’s prologue is a work of art. Just those few pages filled me with enough intrigue that I would’ve suffered if need be, through the next 400 pages just to find the answers to my many, many questions.

Luckily, Furyborn is not a book that needs to be suffered through.

The intricacies of both the worldbuilding and the intertwining plots, along with the cast of lovable–and some hateable– characters, kept my face buried in this book until the end.



Rielle - While I really enjoy Rielle’s character and the growth she undergoes throughout the novel, I feel as if the majority of her story is yet to be told still.

Eliana - Eliana is an incredibly frustrating character, and I spent most of the book wanting to scream for her to forgo her trust issues. Despite this, however, I love Eliana. She is spunky, badass, and not afraid of a fight. 

Audric - While Audric is very likable, I don’t find him any more unique than most male love interests. He is very capable, strong, and kind, but also a tad too cookie-cutter for me. 

Ludivine -  I’m not sure there’s been a more kind-hearted, genuine being to ever live. Ludivine made me smile every time she appeared on the page and her loyalty to both Rielle and Audric just melts my heart.

Remy - Remy is Eliana’s moral compass. Whether she listens to him or not, he stands his ground and is usually right. 

Simon - I honestly don’t know what to think of Simon. I loved him more and more throughout the story but wasn’t able to get a good read on him beyond him being good and lovable. 

Navi - The MVP in my humble opinion. Navi encompasses the idea of Found Family (more on that later) and is there for Eliana exactly when she needs it. Similar to Ludivine, I couldn’t get enough of her on the page.

Honorable Mentions

Zahra - A late addition to this cast of characters, but mentionable nonetheless. I’m hoping we learn more of Zahra’s story in the coming books.

Evyline - She isn’t a main character, but I love the friendship she and Rielle are beginning to develop.


Found Family
This book is 10/10 when it comes to Found Family. Rielle's actual family is just her father, but she's built her life with Ludivine and Audric at the center of it and is slowly adding Evyline. 

Eliana has her mother, Remy, and Harkan, and is now slowly letting Navi and Simon in. 

Seeing this type of trusting and loyal relationship warms my heart every time I see it on a page. Found Family is one of my favorite things (is this a trope?) to see in books, and Legrand did not disappoint in Furyborn.


Inclusivity
Legrand does an amazing job of being inclusive in a natural way. Nothing seems forced or like it was added in an effort to be labeled diverse. 

Patrik and Hob were mentioned to be married but were then developed as individual characters instead of as an LGBTQ couple. 

Eliana is either bisexual or pansexual, which was sprinkled in here and there throughout the story so far. She and Harkan also seem to have an open relationship instead of a monogamous one, which is something I haven't seen often (or at all now that I think about it).

I feel as if inclusion like this is either the main topic of a book, or an author throws it in very obviously as an attempt to be inclusive without actually knowing how to write the characters/relationship. 

It was very refreshing to see these relationships mentioned, but not forced (as it should be). 


Sex positivity
I’ve seen people go both ways on this topic in the case of Furyborn, so this may be a little controversial, but I still think it is important to mention.

In my opinion, Furyborn is incredibly sex-positive both generally and in the way Legrand addresses women's sexuality. 

When Rielle and Audric were caught together, there was no mention of her "virtue" or blame placed for any reason other than Audric's betrothal to Ludivine. 

Rielle is immediately provided contraceptive tonic by Ludivine, again without any recourse beyond the possible rumors about the affair.

Eliana would sleep with contacts to get jobs and information, and Navi entered the Maidensfold as a spy to smuggle information back to her home country.

Sex is not viewed as something holy or sacred like it often is both in stories and in real life, but merely as a means to an end or a source of pleasure. The lack of focus on it is refreshing.


Worldbuilding
My favorite aspect of reading a book is the worldbuilding, and Claire Legrand did not disappoint in Furyborn.

Most books have a lot of worldbuilding up front, and then it tapers off throughout the book as we become more familiar with the world.

In Furyborn, however, I felt as if the worldbuilding mounted as the story went on. I believe that this was in part because Rielle herself was a part of the world that was being built in Eliana’s story.

Not too much about Rielle could be revealed at once, as there were things that readers still needed to find out about her themselves, instead of through the history known during Eliana’s time.


Overall, Furyborn was a rollercoaster of emotions that I would be more than happy to ride again. Everything from the characters to the world-building to the ever-racing plot was exquisite.

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meredith_williams_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’ve had this book on my TBR for awhile and finally decided to give it a try. The beginning was a bit slow and some of the world building was a bit confusing. However, the story eventually picks up and I ended up enjoying it. The dual timeline was especially intriguing. I feel it made the mystery aspect more engaging and allows the reader to sympathize with both main characters even as they becoming increasingly more morally gray. 

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merenguita's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The setup, magic system and the world building were really good and interesting, it's what pulled me in and what motivates me to read the second part.
Some of the characters I loved others I think weren't fully fleshed out (Simon espacially)
He switches personality a lot and his relationship with Eliana kinda just jumps to romance out of nowhere

The pace was slow and there's a while in the middle where not much happens just fights, that got a bit boring, but it didn't bother me that much.
Honestly the book has its flaws but I still enjoyed it throughout so I give it 4☆

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