What Fury Brings

Wrath and Fury #1

by Tricia Levenseller

#1 New York Times-bestselling author Tricia Levenseller makes her adult debut in What Fury Brings, a sexy, empowering romantasy featuring a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.

There's a shortage of men in the kingdom of Amarra. After a failed rebellion against the matriarchy, most noblemen in the country are dead. Now the women of Amarra must obtain their husbands (should they want one) by kidnapping them from other kingdoms.

Olerra, a warrior princess vying for the throne, is determined to prove her worth by kidnapping a husband. And not just any husband. To outmaneuver her treacherous cousin, she needs the best. Fortunately, the second-born prince of their greatest enemy is widely known for both his looks and his sweet, docile temperament. He's the perfect choice to secure her claim to the throne.

Sanos, heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, has nothing but contempt for the idea of a society run by women. Trained from birth to fight, lead, and follow in his father's overbearing footsteps, his path has always been set. Until he takes his younger brother's place in a drunken prank and finds himself kidnapped, carted off to the Amarran Palace, and informed that he is to become the husband of Queen Potential Olerra. Sanos needs to escape before anyone learns his real identity, but the more he gets to know his captor, the less sure he is of what he truly wants.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Adult, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy Romance, Dark Romance

368 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2025

About the author

Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing and is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, playing OVERWATCH, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.

Reviews

[Esta · Rating 4 out of 5]

​​​​George R. R. Martin built a career on brutality and sexual violence in GoT/ASOIAF and its “blockbuster entertainment.” Guilty as charged, I include myself among the readers and TV series watchers.

So with What Fury Brings, it’s interesting to notice how a story can feel surprising, even jarring, when we’ve grown so used to consuming violence against women in fiction that some of us may be desensitised to it, yet clutch our pearls if the roles are subverted. We don’t condone GRRM’s fictional rape and brutality, but we’ll still binge Game of Thrones. Yet when a woman flips the script, suddenly it’s “too much.”

I think it exposes something uncomfortable in the cognitive dissonance we have, especially if you don’t bat an eyelid over dark romance novels (whether you're reading TERF-author fan-fiction or another romance where the female is kidnapped, sexually assaulted, enslaved etc) or gory epic misogynistic fantasy worlds: We’re often complicit in selective outrage and this book may cause us to reflect how our expectations and empathy can sometimes be uneven, whether its in consuming entertainment or in events that occur in real life. (Side note: I adore the word empathy actually. It's a great word that inspires compassion.)

Now, the story itself. The whole thing straddled a line between romantastic, serious commentary and satire for me. But that’s what made it a riot. It’s not feminism and the author is clear about this in her note. Because feminism is equity and equality. Amarra, the fantasy kingdom here, is matriarchal and women are the oppressors. After reading it, I think of it as a dark revenge romantasy with a satirical streak.

What I actually appreciated was the nuance. FMC, Olerra fights for justice, equity and social programs. Her cousin Glenaerys gives very right-wing billionaire, cutting programs for the vulnerable so the rich can hoard more wealth and all while dabbling in behaviour that would definitely land her in the Epstein files. If that sounds familiar… yep… that’s the point I think Levenseller was trying to make: All the things that infuriate you in this fictional world is a mirror of what men have done in real life. Redirect that rage, bestie. Remember who the real villains are. And mind your triggers while you're at it, because this world is dark.

And it’s not just the matriarchal kingdom of Amarra. The neighbouring patriarchal kingdom of Brutus and their population of Brutes (lol) has a tyrant king. Abuse and sexual assault against women and outside of the binary is the norm in their kingdom. However, his sons are naïve but caring and kind.

Sanos, the MMC, experiences meaningful growth where he realises more needs to be done to protect women from rape and violence and oppression and he wants to change the state of things in the kingdom of Brutus. No gender or non-gender, role or identity is painted with a single brushstroke in any kingdom, which makes the story layered rather than monolithic.

Btw, the romance is kinda cute. A suspension-of-disbelief may be required for falling in love with your kidnapper who manacles, objectifies and humiliates you... but don’t we have to suspend disbelief when we read those dark romances with fifty three trigger warnings? Just saying.

I enjoyed this, which surprised me because I avoid dark romances in general. So why did this work for me, considering:

- I wanted to see a bit more connection and development between the two MCs
- I don't condone the world, just like I don't condone Westeros, (although I'm definitely not opposed to the punishment fitting the crime for rapists),
- nor do I want to live in it (although I would love to be Goddess-blessed to be divinely strong)?

I guess I'm giving it four stars because it made me cackle, cringe and confront my own biases.

Finally, I will leave you with some wise words from Terry Pratchett:

"Satire is meant to ridicule power. If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it's not satire, it's bullying."

Hand on heart, I can say this work of satirical fantasy protects the marginalised while punching up and ridiculing power.

Books are art and art is always going to be subjective. We all bring our own life experiences to what we read, so of course we’re going to interpret it differently. If you loved this book, amazing! If you didn’t, that’s valid too. No judgement, no yucking anyone’s yum. The only thing I’d add is that sometimes our reactions are shaped by bigger cultural forces like internalised misogyny, so it’s worth being aware of those double standards. Disliking this is totally valid as long as you’d dislike it the same way if it was the other way around for men and women. What I'm saying is, be an equitable lover or hater.

And if you can give five stars to other dark romances but feel uncomfortable about subverting the situation for cis het men, maybe it’s worth unpacking why.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Pushkin Press for the ARC.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏


Starting a romantasy where the patriarchy is cancelled and the author's trigger warnings include that 🍆 guillotines are used on rapists. 👀

[ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

i have quite literally nothing good to say about this book so i will keep it short. i am surprised that this was even published to be honest. i fear that this was marketed incredibly incorrectly and is one of the most poorly done 'feminine rage' (quoted on the back of this book) novels i have ever read. i did read the authors note and i still feel this way - this is a quote from another review that i feel sums it up well 'I know the author states in the author’s note that this is not how a world led by women would/should look, but this kind of reflection is entirely absent from the actual narrative.'

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been this conflicted about a book before. I genuinely don't know how to rate it. I mean, I did devoured it, but I also wanted to stop reading it.. I hated it so much, but I also loved it.. I had the time of my life, but it's also the most furious I've ever been... I seriously don't know..

I guees a three is the most logical rating, right in the middle. But I need you all to know it's both too high and not high enough, if that makes sense. I don't even know anymore..

Amarra is a kingdom blessed by the goddess with a power to overpower man. There's a shortage of man and women tend to kidnap their husbands, it's tradition. Olerra is a general, but also a princess battling with her cousin for a chance to inherit the throne. To give herself an edge over her cousin, she decides to kidnap the second-born prince from an enemy kingdom. Unfortunately, she grabs the wrong one. Sanos, the heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, was trained from childhood to fight, under his violent father. When he finds himself kidnapped and taken to an enemy kingdom, he must do everything he can to go back home and to keep everyone from finding out his real identity. But his captor might be too hard to resist..

Amarra is a kingdom where woman are in charge. They are the stronger gender. Man are treated like lesser beings, there to bring pleasure and take care of the children and home. They are basically slaves. It is meant to show a flipped world, where woman act towards man like man acted towards them. I hated it. It's a revenge act. I loved that the goddess gave them the power over man, because let's be real so many of us would love that power, but I hate that they used it to treat the man exactly as they were treated. They lowered themselves to their level and made themselves just as bad as they were.
Please check the trigger warnings!!!
The best thing about their world is how they dealt with rapists, I can 100% get behind that.. I also loved how everyone was accepted in their world, that was commendable.

The characters, I hated them so much, even when I loved them. Olerra was just as bad as everyone else, just with the mentality of I'm better than them, I'm not as cruel, while still being abusive. There are more ways than one to be abusive!!!!! You caring about them doesn't automatically make you better. I would've respected her more if she embraced it, instead of insisting she wasn't as bad as everyone else, while still being abusive. But then there are moments where I absolutely loved her. The way she protected Sanos, how she gave him time, how badass she was. She was incredibly strong and worked so hard, but I spent the whole book alternating between hating and loving her.
Then Sanos, I felt so bad for him, he literally replaced one abuser for another, but he also got on my nerves. I loved his closeness with his family, how he did everything to protect them, but hated how it took him seeing the worst of Amarra to actually think about changing things in his kingdom.
Their romance was both compelling and disappointing. I genuinely hated their romance, while loving parts of it. I loved how their relationship progressed and there were some really great moments but how do you expect me to believe he fell in love with her while being held captive and chained, while he was being humiliated. I just can't get over that, I hated the humiliation part. It will always be a hard no for me. It made me sick to my stomach..

I did love the writing and the quick pace. It kept me entertained even when I hated it. I wanted to dnf it multiple times, but was still interested in the story enough to keep going.
I loved the ending, especially the part at the gates, but I would've loved to see an actual plan to make things better instead of just saying that they'll make changes.. It felt hollow..

All in all, it was a good book with a promising premise and I liked the thought behind it.. It's all about rage.. It's a book you're either going to love or absolutely hate. I can see both sides, which is why I'm so conflicted..

*Thank you to Netgalley and to Pushkin Press for providing me with an ARC.*

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yasssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!.. I always do my best to remember to thank Netgalley and the publishers before my review. But the legitimate biggest THANK YOU to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this phenomenal experience!! MacMillan!! 🫵🏼🫵🏼🫵🏼 YOURE ONE IN A MILLION!! 🗣️🎙️ ( Permission to write me off as punishment for such corniness or any second hand embarrassment it might cause 🤣🤣🤣) 


Listen, this darn book was slowly becoming my "little mouse", my "white whale" if you will.. I read this synopsis and it was as if I was hypnotized. I NEEDED to read this book!!.... like SpongeBob needed that water the first time he hit up Sandy's tree dome..A WORLD WERE MEN GO THROUGH WHAT WOMEN DO ON A REGULAR BASIS IN REAL LIFE?!?!?! WHERE THE FK DO I SIGN UP?!?!?.. Is there a blood oath I need to attend? Do y'all need a first born? Like just let me know, what I need to do to read this book!!..And I was trying, mann..I was denied for it previously on Netgalley, I sighed up for every giveaway on every site this was listed on (those went as expected) your girl was getting desperate. 



This is a must read for a million reasons. What we have here is nothing short of a brilliant piece of art.. Every Author who "makes it big" usually has a main book or series that propelled them to that status. If What Fury Brings doesn't skyrocket Tricia Levenseller to superstar author status, there's something very wrong with us as readers. And I'll die on that hill, I don't care if I'm by myself.. Books such as this remind us why we love to read. The original story concept is the freshest breath of air since we busted out of the kitchen decades ago.

 And since we have stepped out of the kitchen we have gone above and beyond to prove we as women are just as strong as men. But what if we were the far superior species all together!?..This masterpiece takes it one step further and completely switches up the gender role narrative. We are the Men & men are officially the bitches. Being told by women to be seen & not heard, being used as objects. And not for nothing I feel the reverse roles of this book make the faster pace of the storyline more believable.. Since men are usually more....simple 🫠


While I absolutely loved this book and I feel many will. I can also see people trying to make an issue here🙄.. May those people not find this book in the first place. However if they do.. may they consider this before giving unfair reviews.. Before labeling this book and all who adore it a bunch of male hating man eaters perhaps you should just take a step back and consider yourself lucky you've clearly never encountered any real life experiences to make you relate to the rage within these pages, and just keep it pushing. Just a friendly suggestion from your neighborhood loudmouth.🫶🏼


Needless to say this book met and surpassed every bar I had set up for it. Yes I will be recommending this to anyone with ears and I CANNOT WAIT to buy my own hardcopy book trophy!!





Until next time,
Hades
🩵

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely flips the patriarchy on its head and presents a world where woman are goddess-blessed with the strength to overpower ANY man.

Women are the leaders, skilled-craftswomen, the educated, the ones with all the power, the protectors of men. Men are valued for their looks, their ability to sire children, they spend their time raising children or busying themselves with hobbies meant to entertain the women.

This matriarchal society is completely f-ed up, and thats the point. It’s supposed to be a flipped take on the real world patriarchy. Men are the ones oppressed, mistreated, and scared for their lives. This book isn’t meant to be nuanced or to show what a world run by women would really look like. Rather it is meant to show what a world run by women, acting like men, would be like.

I highly recommend reading the author’s note before diving into this book. It gives vital information, not only on the author’s intention and purpose for writing this book but the extensive content warnings. This is a DARK romantasy.

Do I actually want to live in a world like this? No. But would I gladly take that goddess-blessed power in order to never feel physically unsafe again? Absolutely.

This is a true romantasy, with a perfect blend of romantic and non-romantic plot!

I stayed up till 2am devouring this book, I didn’t want to stop reading!

There is so much to love about this book…
- political intrigue
- easy to follow world-building
- villains you’ll love to hate
- a heroine worth rooting for
- CURVY THICK AND TALL FMC
- a kidnapped prince
- epic tension + chemistry
- delicious spice
- binge-able
- a satisfying STANDALONE

What’s not to love…
- This wasn’t perfect, there were areas where I didn’t love the prose, but this was such a unique story, with so MUCH to love about it, that something small like prose is inconsequential in comparison.

🌶️- This is definitely an adult book! There are adult themes and s-x mentioned throughout the book. Spicy chapters are: 7, 17, 21, 28.
*** The author also has a very detailed content warning and note available at the beginning of the book. Its also available via NetGalley under the Links section

Audio Narration: 4/5 Really good narration. Both narrators do a great job with pausing, pacing, and inflection. Voice variation was good, but occasionally the male’s narration of female voices sounded much louder than his own narration which was a bit jarring.

| IG | TikTok |

Preread:
I am just a tiny bit obsessed with the concept of this book.
Also the author's note mentions that there are 🍆 guillotines used as punishment for 🍇ist and that was pretty much all I needed to read to know I wanted to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan/FIEWEL for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[KnightsandFables · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I truly don’t know how to rate What Fury Brings. I’m not the target audience. I love romantasy. I love Tricia Levenseller (I’ve read all her books, and Warrior of the Wild is my absolute favorite). So, I went into this expecting a lighthearted, quirky romantasy with a feminist twist. Even the premise, kidnapping men to find a husband, sounded cheeky and satirical.

But I was so, so wrong.

This book is marketed as feminist, a “flipping” of the patriarchy. But that’s not what it is. Amarra, the nation we explore, is a horrifying replica of everything that has ever been wrong with patriarchal societies, only the roles are reversed and the abuse amplified. Men in chains. Men gagged. Men sold at auction, starting from the age of thirteen. Men kept in harems, humiliated, raped, abused. AND THIS IS TREATED AS NORMAL.

I know the author states in the author’s note that this is not how a world led by women would/should look, but this kind of reflection is entirely absent from the actual narrative. There is no dismantling of beliefs, no meaningful interrogation of the system in place. And that’s the issue: without that critical lens, this novel doesn’t read as a critique of power structures. It’s not feminist empowerment. It’s dystopian cruelty, unchecked and unexamined. It's gratuitous hate and violence.

And that’s the worst part: the book not only fails to question this system, it excuses it. I quote: “I’m not saying it’s right. Just that there is a reason for it. […] If we don’t dominate men, they will go back to oppressing us. We must behave to protect ourselves.” This situation is horrific. This is not the answer to all the harm that has been perpetrated on women and other marginalized groups.

The male-led nation is called “Brutus,” and the author wants us to believe that the men there are the villains. But they’re not. The female-led nation is the real villain, and yet no one seems to realize it.

And how are we supposed to believe that a man, humiliated and abused, would fall in love with his captor, especially when she accepts and even justifies the status quo, with questionable intentions of changing it? How can that be resolved emotionally and ethically in the span of 360pages?

I don’t think it can.

And what was that ending? Are we really supposed to believe that by having the man walk down the aisle, wearing a dress and a bit of makeup, the patriarchy is flipped and the protagonists are somehow equals? I don’t think so. I also couldn’t help but notice how conveniently the author avoided explaining how two nations as fundamentally different as Brutus and Amarra could possibly merge, how they could overcome such deep-rooted hatred, trauma, and the systemic abuse of the other sex. That part was simply glossed over. And frankly, I’m not sure it can happen. How can there be equality when neither side has done the necessary work to question, unlearn, their misconceptions? Love is not a magic solution, and the book itself even says so in the line I quoted earlier.

I want to be clear: I love a good female rage and I don’t have triggers, I can read anything, but I do need to know what I am getting into and the trigger warnings did not prepare me for that. I was completely taken by surprise by the massive gap between the marketing of this book and its actual content. I want to know when I’m entering dark territory, not discover I’m already deep in it when I’m 20% into the book.

Readers deserve to know what they’re getting into. This isn’t cute or subversive. It’s dark. It’s disturbing. And it’s only for a very specific kind of reader. It is not your average romantasy.

Please, market this book correctly. Call it what it is: DARK romantasy. And include proper content warnings for severe humiliation and pedophilia.

[Nadja · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️ – I’m furious. I’m disgusted. I’m disappointed.

One star. And honestly, that’s only because Goodreads doesn’t offer a “please launch this into the sun” option. I should’ve stopped, but sheer morbid curiosity about how this flaming trainwreck would end could possibly wrap up in a "happy ever after" kept me skimming. I should have DNFed. I wish I had. I’m angry. I’m exhausted. I need a drink and a hug from someone who’s never read this book.

I came into What Fury Brings with high expectations. I adore romantasy. I loved Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadow Between Us—fun, fierce, full of sharp characters and a darkly empowering vibe. The setup sounded wild in a way I love—women running the world, men getting snatched off the street for royal baby-making duties? I was like, “Yes, let’s see what happens when the roles are reversed!” Joke’s on me. What I thought would be a juicy twist on power turned out to be a dystopian fever dream that felt like someone asked, “What if toxic masculinity, but... estrogen?”.

Amarra is a world where equality went to die in six-inch heels. Instead of challenging the injustice, it recycles it with new faces and pretends that’s progress. Instead of offering any meaningful reflection, the book just drags out the greatest hits of historical misogyny, slaps a feminine label on it, and tries to pass it off as world-building. The book just copies all the worst parts of male-dominated history, flips the gender labels, and calls it innovation. In theory, Amarra flips the societal script. In practice, it doubles down on cruelty. Men are silenced, stripped of agency, auctioned off, imprisoned, and exploited. It’s not subversive. It’s not bold. And it’s definitely not a thoughtful critique of anything. The fact that a 13-year-old boy is sold into a harem—with no outrage, no resistance, and no reckoning—is horrifying. The book doesn’t just fail to condemn this system—it treats it as normalized, even justified. That’s not edgy. That’s deeply disturbing.

The narrative never once holds this world accountable. Not the system, not the characters, not even the protagonist. There’s no self-awareness, no growth, just a steady parade of abuse repackaged as empowerment. The only message I got was: “As long as the oppressor changes gender, it’s fine.” That’s not justice—it’s the same violence, recycled and rebranded. I was expecting rage and role reversal. I was not expecting it to depict child grooming and to talk about the sexual “initiation” of a 13-year-old. It made me sick to my stomach. The “sex workers” in this society? Not workers. They are sex slaves. Auctioned off. Enslaved. Not consenting. Let that sink in.

This is cruelty, rewritten with women as the abusers—and then applauded.

The romance (???) was the nail in the coffin for me. We’re supposed to root for a relationship where the male lead is kidnapped, imprisoned, physically, sexually, and emotionally abused—and falls in love with his captor, Olerra. The FMC never once reflects on her own behavior, and the book offers no insight into her psyche beyond “well, I’m not like those other abusive women” before proceeding to be not quite as abusive—BUT STILL ABUSIVE. And for me? That doesn’t cut it.

Repeated scenes where Sanos is chained spread eagle to the bed every night aren’t sexy—they're traumatic. He’s forced into objectifying and humiliating bondage attire. He is paraded around like a toy, his dignity stripped away, while the FMC flaunts her power. Their dynamic never changes. Even at the end, she doesn’t trust him. In some ways, she’s just as horrible as her cousin—just in different, more manipulative ways. She claims to be better, but she isn’t.

And the more I sit with it, the angrier I get.

This isn’t a tale of justice or healing. No, it’s Stockholm syndrome dressed up as romance. The idea that the MMC must be “housebroken” (direct term used) before he can be a good partner is horrifying. There is no romance in this book. Only rape, humiliation, physical abuse, and psychological torture.

The central “relationship” between Sanos and Olerra is not slow-burn or enemies-to-lovers. It is Stockholm syndrome. He is: kidnapped, drugged, chained (every single night, spread-eagle to a bed), gagged, dressed in humiliating bondage gear, paraded around publicly as an object, sexually assaulted—multiple times, subjected to non-consensual drugged sex, dehumanized in every way imaginable... How are you supposed to root for a romance that’s basically just her degrading him the entire time? He slowly loses all traits of masculinity. Honestly, I just felt sorry for him.

This isn't slow-burn romance. It's psychological domination with a romantic façade. There’s a moment where Sanos must be “housebroken” before being considered a suitable partner. That phrase alone should raise red flags. He is not respected. He is trained. That is not love.

The FMC sexually assaults the MMC multiple times. You cannot ask for consent from someone you’ve shackled, drugged, imprisoned, and gagged. He cannot consent, he is chained and drugged!!

The FMC is perhaps the most frustrating character of all. She spends the entire book degrading Sanos, controlling his every move, getting angry at him for things she herself caused, and contributing to his ongoing abuse. Even at the end, she doesn’t trust him. She never reflects. Never changes. Her biggest concern is becoming queen—not justice, not change, not liberation. The fact that she’s “less bad” than other women in the story is meaningless. That’s not a character arc. That’s not redemption. That’s just minimization. She condemns the men of Brutus for their past crimes, all while actively perpetuating the exact same evils.

And despite everything, the book still positions Olerra as the hero. Somehow, we’re expected to root for her. Somehow, we’re expected to buy the idea that this relationship is redemptive, that it's healing. It isn’t. No. Just no.

If the author wanted to write a female empowerment story, why did she write a world where, when given power, women became just as bad as men? Why, after 500 years of having that power, has society done nothing to grow or change for the better? Writing women who put men down doesn’t make them better women. Women are better than that.

If the book wanted to explore female rage, it could have. If it wanted to highlight how unchecked power corrupts regardless of gender, it should have. But instead, it revels in shock value without ever offering depth, critique, or consequence. If the author wanted to write a revenge book, then it should've actually been about that revenge and not whatever this was. Had all the injustice that was mentioned that happened 500 years ago been happening now and this society rose up as an immediate and flawed response, I might’ve bought into the setup more. But 500 years have passed—and yet they’ve made zero progress as a society?

And Amarra is supposed to be a queer-normative, progressive society. Really? The laws don't even make sense - how are there happy queer men in a kingdom where men aren't allowed to own land or hold jobs? What do they do for a living? Where do they sleep? We never get to meet any of them, or the trans man, or the supposedly happy and equal straight couples. Why would anyone born a woman come out as a man when men are treated worse than dirt? It doesn’t make sense. You can’t have this supposedly enlightened culture and also think it’s fine to put boys in chains and call it justice.

So let me get this straight: after 400+ pages of institutionalized abuse, human trafficking, and a romance built entirely on Stockholm Syndrome, the grand finale—the solution—is to have the male lead slap on some mascara, strut down the aisle in a dress, and voilà! Equality achieved.

And as for those two kingdoms, with their deep-seated grudges and toxic histories? Oh, they’re just supposed to merge effortlessly, like magic fairy dust fixes generations of trauma and hatred. Spoiler: it doesn’t work like that. This “happy ending” feels more like ignoring the mess than fixing it.

Let’s get this straight: this is not a romantasy. This is slave/captor/master dark fiction being falsely marketed under the veil of romantasy and “feminist revenge.” Sanos never stops feeling like a slave. His “housebreaking” is treated like a necessary process to make him a suitable partner. He’s not given agency. He’s not respected. The FMC sexually assaults the MMC multiple times, his consent is a joke—he can’t give it. Not when he’s chained. Not when he’s drugged. Not when his every move is controlled. She asks for consent, but he is chained and drugged—THAT IS NOT CONSENT. This is definitely not a romantasy and should not be marketed as such.

What truly enraged me is how deeply misleading the trigger warnings are. The book minimizes rape, slavery, grooming, and child sexual abuse as vague “dubious consent” or “bondage/kidnapping.” In truth, we are shown:
-A 13-year-old boy sold into a harem, where it's stated he will be “bedded” before reaching maturity.
-Men repeatedly drugged and forced into sex acts while restrained.
-“Sex workers” who are clearly sex slaves.
-Repeated SA scenes, where the male characters are physically unable to consent—and say no—yet are violated anyway.
-Use of date rape drugs.
-Public sexual humiliation used as punishment and entertainment.

I’m not squeamish. I’ve read brutal stories, dark romances, twisted revenge arcs—you name it. But this book was marketed as romantasy with “feminist themes.” What it actually contains is systemic sexual abuse, coercion, grooming, and slavery. It's just cruelty passed off as world-building and a trigger warning section that might as well have said “good luck.” The way it tries to paint women in a good light is astonishing. I have never read bigger hypocrisy in a book. They talk about women in other countries being raped and forced into submission—all while doing the same damn thing to their men.

Reading about men being brutalized by women didn’t make me feel empowered—it just made me uncomfortable. The concept had so much potential, but I found the execution really dehumanizing. It was frustrating to see women in the story not grow or evolve, even when given the chance to build something better. Instead of learning from the past, the new society felt just as stuck. This isn’t about being sensitive. I’m not easily shocked. I love dark stories, twisted romances, morally gray heroines, and revenge arcs. But this? This wasn’t dark with purpose. It was just bleak. It lacked catharsis. It lacked evolution. It glorified the very thing it pretended to question.

This is not romantasy. This is not feminist. This is not empowering.

This book is abuse without consequence, power without reflection, and rage without evolution. I wanted to see a critique of power, of cycles of violence, of how vengeance can twist justice. I wanted to feel something cathartic. I got none of that.

Instead, I got a book that glamorizes suffering, excuses rape, and pretends oppression is poetic as long as women are doing the oppressing.

This is not feminist rage. This is narrative rot.

Trigger Warnings:
-Mentions of sexual assault, but no scenes actually depicted → Scenes ARE depicted, including the scenes where the FMC is a frequent assailant
-Dubious consent → No. There is NO consent. These are slaves. It’s not dubcon it’s full on SA and he makes his lack of consent very clear
-Kidnapping/bondage, sometimes sexual → Non-consensual physical restraint. Not kink. It’s ‘bondage’ as in someone is being held against their will without establishing prior consent or a safe word (aka assault)
-Auctioning and selling of men
-Sex workers → Sex slaves.
-Mentions of grooming and underage sexual partners → Includes a graphic, deeply disturbing grooming scene. We explicitly see a child who has been bought by a pedophile and we are told what will happen to him.

I would also add:
- use of date rape drugs
- pedophilia
- power play
- severe humiliation in public and often of a sexual nature

[Tricia Levenseller]

May 2025: Just a friendly reminder to please read the author's note in the beginning of the book before deciding to read. I'm not lying about those trigger warnings or my intentions behind the novel. This is not a feminist book. Feminism is about equality among the sexes. This book is about revenge.

April 2024: I'm so excited to be working on my first fantasy for adults!

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧
⌯⌲ arc review
⋆˙⟡ release: sep 23 2025

. ♬ ݁˖ now playing: 𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒌𝒆𝒚𝒔 . ♪ ⋆

- 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 -
what fury brings centers around olerra, a warrior princess in the kingdom amarra, a female dominated kingdom. think “classic” societal gender roles, except flipped so that women are the more dominant force. in order to prove her worthiness to the throne, olerra must kidnap a husband to claim as her own. sanos is the heir to the neighboring kingdom, brutus, which follows a more traditional norms with men as leaders. in an attempt to capture sanos’s brother, the spare, olerra unknowingly kidnaps sanos instead. in a world of lies and deception, who will come out on top?

- 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 -
to say this is unlike anything i’ve ever read before is an understatement. i mean, i am SHOOK right now. firstly, i’d like to say, tricia levenseller, you’ve got guts to write a book like this, especially in today’s society, and i absolutely love you for it. please, never stop writing, and don’t listen to the haters out there, you’re amazing.

- 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 -
i loved these characters and seeing how their personalities shifted over time. it truly is an enemies to lovers story from the very start, which i did enjoy, but there were also some not so great aspects to it. the main reason i only rated it 4 stars instead of 5 stars was that i just didn’t feel much chemistry between sanos and olerra. there are some times when they’re very sweet together, but at the same time, most of the on page interactions where both of them are alone after a certain point is pretty much just smut. which wasn’t bad, per se, but i just didn’t feel as invested.

- 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 & 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 -
as always, tricia absolutely nailed the plot. it starts off a little slower, like most romantasies, but it definitely sped up near the end. a big aspect that plays into how i rate books is how predictable i thought that the plot was, and there were multiple times in this book where i was in genuine shock. content wise, there is constraint, mentions of SA, explicit sexual content, violence, and forced sex workers.

overall, i think this book is able to address some of the complexities of our society in a way that’s easier and more enjoyable to read. there were times in this book where i was laughing my ass off, and others where i was completely speechless, in a bad way. PLUS that ending set the scene for a potential next book perfectly, so i can’t wait to see what happens next!

𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 -
✦ enemies to lovers
✧ dual POV
✦ third person
✧ stockholm syndrome
✦ “good boy”
✧ violence
✦ political plot
✧ romantasy
✦ spicy

please, please, please check your trigger warnings before reading!


>> thank you to 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 and 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝑭𝑬𝑰𝑾𝑬𝑳 for an ARC - 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 <3

- preread -
edit: i’m looking at the description and i’m kind of scared 🫣 its about a kingdom with a shortage of men, so the women have to kidnap a husband 😭😭

i remember enjoying daughter of the pirate king, so hopefully this one hits too!! 🤭💖

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a perfect world where women are the stronger sex—protectors of men, leaders of armies, rulers of empires. They have their own harems, and if they want a husband, they simply kidnap a prince from a rival kingdom. Yes, this girl-powered concept deserves a standing ovation! Tricia Levenseller brings this thrilling, feminist romantasy to life, and it’s absolutely irresistible.

The fierce characterization, the empowering world-building, the sizzling chemistry, the throne-room politics, forbidden love, and high-stakes intrigue—all of it was executed so well. I devoured this book in one sitting.

The story centers on Olerra, the warrior princess of Amara, who is locked in a battle for the throne against her scheming cousin—who is guided by her ruthless, power-hungry mother. Meanwhile, Sanos, heir to the Kingdom of Brutus and the eldest of five brothers, has spent years being abused by his tyrant father, King Atalius. He stays quiet, refusing to rebel for the sake of protecting his mother and younger sister.

To win the throne, Olerra plans to kidnap Prince Andrastus, the second-born son of their greatest enemy. He’s known to be soft, poetic, and more easily manipulated. But her plan backfires when, during a drunken night at a brothel, it’s actually Sanos who ends up being taken in Andrastus’s place.

Waking up in a carriage with Olerra and her best friend Ydra, Sanos immediately begins plotting his escape—terrified that his absence will give his cruel father the chance to hurt the people he loves. He’s determined to resist Olerra’s forced marriage plans, but as the days pass, he begins to see another side of the warrior princess. And as sparks fly, he finds himself drawn to the fierce woman who stole him away. The chemistry is undeniable—but Sanos is hiding a secret that could destroy everything between them. And he’s not the only one—Olerra is also harboring a truth that could hand her enemies the power to destroy her.

Will they be able to find happiness and claim the power they both deserve? Or will they be forced to choose between love and victory, each option carrying its own heartbreak?

Overall: I’m rounding my 4.5 stars up to a solid 5 for the fresh, feminist concept and the red-hot chemistry between Olerra and Sanos. I also definitely wouldn’t say no to a sequel about Ydra—I’d love to return to this girl-powered universe again! I’ve enjoyed Tricia Levenseller’s YA books before, but her adult romantasy work has me hooked. I’m eagerly looking forward to whatever she writes next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends for sharing this delightful romantasy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[Bailey Chadwick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might possibly be the worst book I’ve ever read. There are other one star reviews here on Goodreads who explain my thoughts better than I ever could. But holy cow, how did this get published?

[brittany:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who runs the world? Girls!!! 👑⚔️🔥

I loved this one!!! It’s politics heavy 🏛️, Amazonian-like women ruling over men 💪🏾, a full-on patriarchal showdown that gave me Wonder Woman vibes 🦸🏽‍♀️✨ The stakes were HIGH 🎲, betrayal was everywhere 🩸, and the feminist-driven world building was so easy to fall into but still felt rich and immersive 🌍

There’s brutality (towards men lol 😂), spice 🌶️, tension you can cut with a knife 🖤, and the kind of bingeable pacing 📖⚡ that makes you stay up way too late flipping pages 😵‍💫 It was satisfying, fresh, and honestly such a solid romantasy to throw into your rotation 💥

I ate it up 👑🔥⚔️

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

▪️“Instead of making the world a better place, your ancestor flipped it,” Sanos said.
“Yes, for that is what fury brings.”▪️

I have adored everything I’ve read from Tricia Levenseller’s YA catalog, so of course I had to hustle to read her adult debut. The premise instantly had me hooked! Rival kingdoms where the patriarchy and god-touched women who oppress men go head to head? Of course I have to know more.

Olerra is the general of Amarra, where women rule and men are the weaker sex, while Sanos is the prince of a more ‘traditional’ kingdom that more closely mimics our own patriarchal history. Olerra decides to kidnap herself a husband in order to make a bid for the Amarran throne, chaos ensues.

If you want a book where the main characters are good people, this probably isn’t the one for you. Olerra prides herself on being less cruel than other noble ladies, but still kidnaps, threatens, and humiliates Sanos in order to force his compliance. Sanos is a misogynist who doesn’t understand why women being oppressed is such a bad thing, until he sees the men being mistreated in Olerra’s kingdom. The good news is, there is some character development. Olerra has a plan to make things better for the men and common folk in Amarra, and Sanos eventually sees that he could do the same for the women in his country.

The only gripe I had was that I wish the societal aspects were more fleshed out. The repercussions of women overthrowing their abusers just to abuse in kind was overlooked in favor of the romance. The author’s note did say that this isn’t what she thinks the world would look like if women were in charge, but seeing women as villains instead of liberators didn’t make this the feminist fantasy I expected. It’s hard to root for a women led society that sells little boys into sex slavery. I would’ve loved more details on how Olerra and Sanos made things better for everyone in the end.

Overall this was fun, sexy, and a little insane. I actually really enjoyed it, despite a few of my expectations being off! This is totally unique fantasy and I can’t wait to see what comes next! 🖤


Huge thanks to Macmillian | Feiwel and NetGalley for the advanced review copy! 🩷



Pre-read: Late ARC approval so I have to start this ASAP! I’m definitely intrigued by the reviews so far 👀

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventurous romantacy novel is one I will never forget! I am extremely impressed by her first adult debut! The premise is what initially made me want to read it. The title of this book is exactly what it brings, which is fury! This is a medium paced, dark and tense book, that made me not want to put it down! I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next in the story! This author really captures feminism rage and empowerment, as it flips gender traditional power dynamics!

This is not your typical novel, as it has a female dominated kingdom. These women have the strength to overpower men! They bring the fury! In this book, women are skilled craftswomen, leaders and protectors. It is both plot and character driven, contains lovable and unlovable characters, and comes with a diverse cast of characters! The men are valuable by how they are raising their children, their looks and keeping themselves busy with hobbies.

The world building of this story was well crafted, descriptive and felt realistic. The main characters were strongly developed, change and grew in the story and I even felt that the minor characters stood out! This is a story where the female main character is morally grey, a plus sized rep, and is a sassy lovable heroine! Her name is Olerra. Olerra is a warrior princess and is willing to do anything to prove her worth and power. This is a story that is easy to read, beautifully written, contains political intrigue and strong villians!

Now, let’s get into the romance aspect of the story! We have our female main character named Olerra. By proving her worth as a skilled warrior, she kidnaps a husband. Other women can do this as well, if they choose to! Olerra mistakenly kidnaps Sanos, who becomes the male main character in the story. Olerra and Sanos end up being in a relationship. The relationship is full of love and manipulation, as Olerra asserts her dominance. This is a spicy novel! As the story unravels between these two, we see the societal expectations and challenges that are faced with. Overall, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating!

I think that anyone that is interested in a romance fantasy book, where there are swapped gender roles, would really enjoy reading this! Content warnings include abuse, war violence, sexual assault and explicit sexual content. This is definitely an adult read.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Tricia Levenseller and Macmillan | FEIWEL for this electronic arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on September 23, 2025!

[Romantasy Ruined Me Cherice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this book was addictive. I couldn’t stop reading and finished it in a single day.

The concept is such a fresh and fun take, a nation ruled by women, where men are treated the way women once were, all thanks to the power of the goddess Amarra granting women superior strength. That idea alone hooked me, and the execution was entertaining as hell. The worldbuilding is light, but I honestly didn’t mind. Not every fantasy has to be overwhelming, and the pacing here kept me flipping pages like crazy.

Tropes I loved
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Star-crossed lovers
✔️ Women in power (Amazonian vibes, baby)
✔️ First love

Princess Oleraa? She’s giving full Wonder Woman energy battle ready, fierce, and untouchable, but deep down she just wants to be loved.

Prince Sanos crown prince of Brutus is strong, proud, and trained to hide every ounce of vulnerability. Together wow The banter is everything, the tension I was screaming YES while also clutching the book like, okay wow. 😂

Let me tell you, I love when an author gives me fun, juicy romantasy without making me feel like I need a notebook or a YouTube crash course just to keep up. Sometimes I just want to be entertained, laugh, swoon, and get ruined and this book delivered exactly that.

💌Verdict: I’ve read books from this author before and wasn’t left ruined, but this time? Oh, I was ruined, wrecked, and obsessed. 💜🔥 Princess Oleraa and Prince Sanos gave me life. I laughed, I gasped, I wanted more and more. This was one wild ride and I couldn’t even pick up another book today because I was stuck in this world. That’s how you know a book hit. 🙌
Alright Tricia, I see you girl I'm here for it.

ARC Review
(Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.💕)

[Susan Carolynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tricia Levenseller absolutely ate with What Fury Brings. When I heard this was a matriarchal romantasy, I knew I was going to love it. And I SO loved how the author went in the darker direction (definitely check the CWs). I almost feel like marketing this as an empowering romantasy doesn't fully fit—when the book is truly a female rage, vengeance, revenge-against-male-oppression book.

While this book followed a lot of the same formulas as a regular romantasy, I loved how it was the man who was the fish-out-of-water. In so many of these types of books, it's the FMC who's kidnapped and taken to the enemy's kingdom. Here, it's the exact opposite.

The author makes it quite evident that this is not what she believes a kingdom would look like if women did rule. It's clear the reader isn't supposed to think this world is "good" or empowering. It demonstrates that when one gender oppresses another, that is, in no uncertain terms, bad. One of the most thought-provoking scenes was when Olerra mentions how women in the kingdom's reasoning for setting up a brutal, matriarchal society like this is that they think it's the only way to avoid male oppression again. But men in the patriarchal kingdoms control women just because they can.

The dual POV added so much to this book. I especially loved Sanos' chapters. His culture shock from going from the heir to a patriarchal society to one where his role is to essentially be a house husband was written so well. I loved Olerra too. She was so dominating and headstrong, and I loved how she knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid of power and ambition. Also the touch-HIM-you-die trope?! Powerful, morally-gray women are the best.

I do think this is going to be a divisive book and kudos to the author for writing something gutsy. It's interesting how some reviews mention that it's problematic that the FMC kidnaps the MMC, while the reverse—the MMC holding the FMC captive—is the plot for what seems like every other romantasy book...just some food for thought!

I NEED another book featuring Ydra. I can't get enough of this world, and this is definitely going to be a book that sticks with me. More matriarchal romantasies are a must, and What Fury Brings is a favorite for sure!

Thank you so much to Fierce Reads for sending me an ARC of What Fury Brings. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

[Faiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow I have a looot to say about this. I’m really sad this missed the mark for me, I’m a huge fan of Tricia Levenseller’s previous books and thought this one was going to be amazing but unfortunately it was a not for me. It started interesting, however the more I read the more uncomfortable I got with the romantic dynamics and power imbalance. I think it seemed more like a dark romance than anything else.

Now, the author’s note at the start makes it very clear this is NOT meant to be a feminist book but rather a revenge book. I understand that, our FMC Olerra lives in a gender-flipped kingdom where men are the oppressed group and women are more powerful, the leaders of society. From a world building and moral/ethical analysis, this concept highlighted the hypocrisies and injustices women face and have faced in the real world for years. For example, the women in this kingdom like their men to be hairless and the MMC thinks to himself about how creepy the connotations of that preference are (the implication that the same scrutiny should apply to that preference many men IRL have). The notion here is that this isn’t a feminist book as this kingdom isn’t for equality, but rather women who are acting as awful as men in the past did to unleash their fury. It’s said that 500 years ago, the kingdom had men oppressing women but then women got magical powers to become more powerful so they flipped the script. As other reviewers have pointed out, the fact that in those 500 years nobody thought about making it an equitable place for all to live is concerning.

Further, when you throw a romance into the mix, particularly one we’re supposed to be rooting for as a reader, I could not get on board. Now let me be clear, it’s not that this society just sees men as inferior or weak but rather they’re essentially enslaved and treated as property. The MMC even thinks to himself “men were little better than slaves here” about a particular market he’s taken to. That dynamic extends to the nobles in the kingdom too, with men kneeling at their spouse’s feet at functions instead of sitting at their side like a partner. The FMC Olerra kidnaps the MMC Sanos, because that is how women in their kingdom get husbands. She’s baffled that he’s not immediately enamoured with her (she reminded me of Darla from Finding Nemo tbh) and makes it her goal to make him get in line and cooperate, and physical and mental abuse is very much on the table. She takes every opportunity to humiliate him, physically hurt him, keep him chained up, and physically drag him around, forced him to get a piercing even???

Stockholm syndrome ensues, and I don’t say that lightly. There was no introspection on the FMC’s part that what she was doing was wrong. She acknowledges that OTHER women in her kingdom are abusers and notes that when she becomes queen she’ll put a stop to THOSE abusive women but constantly excludes herself from that narrative because she’s just getting revenge on men lol. The other kingdoms operate similar to medieval kingdoms we’re familiar with, i.e. the women aren’t treated well - and so we can acknowledge both systems are bad and abusive. A romance has no place in that IMO. Maybe if the FMC was more committed to making a change and was actually trying to create an equitable future I could understand why the MMC falls in love. But as it stands, it seemed he was just succumbing to someone who was abusing him left right and centre.

Again, as other reviews pointed out, this doesn’t leave me feeling empowered or like revenge was served, but rather just uncomfortable.

Some pros - I did enjoy the author’s writing style. As always, it was really easy to fly through and I read this in a day. There were also some attempts at the end to show that perhaps a better future was in store, but there were no real actionable steps IMO. I just think if a book going to tackle gender politics and also include a romance, there needs to be some sort of sensitivity and nuance there. This “eye for an eye” type narrative doesn’t work when we’re supposed to be rooting for someone that acts abusively and justifies it by saying “well men do that to women in another kingdom”.

I’ll likely update this later with more examples and details but just bummed this wasn’t the book for me!

Thank you Macmillan for the ARC!

[claude gabrielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Actual trigger warnings (which don’t match up with the list in the book) at the end!

This was a doozy. Strap in. This reads like a sick and twisted revenge fantasy that should've been talked through in therapy rather than published for all the world to see**
I would’ve rated this differently if I had read it as a sort of extremist horror book but it’s an adult romantasy, which ewwwww!!! but we’ll get into that:

I had high hopes for What Fury Brings, I love gender-flipped retellings so I thought for sure I would enjoy this based on the premise and my own internal rage, but this one completely missed the mark for me. While it had a strong start and an intriguing premise, the more I read, the more uncomfortable I became with the gender-flipped worldbuilding and the toxic romantic dynamics. It read more like a dark romance wrapped in faux-feminist packaging than anything truly empowering or redemptive or healing.

The author’s note makes it clear that this isn’t meant to be a feminist book, but rather a revenge fantasy in a world where women now rule a society that once oppressed them. Unfortunately, the execution feels at once both shallow and disturbing. The “power reversal” premise draws attention to real-world misogyny but doesn’t offer anything deeper than a simple role swap. Men are now the ones humiliated, dehumanized, and enslaved. And we’re meant to just sit with that and accept it as narrative justice? It’s said that 500 years ago, men were in power and abused it, so now women do the same… but no one, in half a millennium, has thought to create an equitable society? That’s not just bleak, it’s lazy storytelling.

Even more frustrating is that the narrative occasionally seems aware that the system is broken but refuses to engage with the themes meaningfully (even when the opening is RIGHT THERE) for 370 straight pages, making it a very near DNF. There are vague gestures toward the idea that things might change someday, but nothing actionable or hopeful ever materialises. Instead, it reads like a revenge script that got too caught up in its own shock value and forgot to say anything worthwhile.

The romance(???) was the nail in the coffin for me. We’re supposed to root for a relationship where the male lead, Sanos, is kidnapped, imprisoned, physically, sexually and emotionally abused, and falls in love(???) with his captor, Olerra. The FMC never once reflects on her own behavior, and the book offers no insight into her psyche beyond “well, I’m not like those other abusive women.” before proceeding to be not quite as abusive—BUT STILL ABUSIVE—and for me? That doesn’t cut it. This isn’t a tale of justice or healing, no, it’s Stockholm syndrome dressed up as romance.
The idea that the MMC must be “housebroken” (direct term used) before he can be a good partner is horrifying.

Not that I was rooting for Sanos either. In fact, it’s quite something that I can confidently say it would’ve been more interesting to be in a side character’s POV rather than Sanos or Olerra because being inside their heads for almost 400 pages made me feel like banging my head against a wall.

The only positive I can offer is that the prose is accessible and readable, I got through it in an afternoon. But that’s not enough to redeem a story that left me feeling uncomfortable, alienated, and deeply disappointed. If you’re looking for catharsis, empowerment, or even just a thoughtful take on gendered oppression, this book isn’t it. If you’re reading for the romance, I found both of these characters so unlikeable that I would literally redirect you anywhere else unless you’re specifically looking for a CAPTOR/CAPTIVE or MASTER/SLAVE romance that isn’t disclosed as such (if you’re looking for that, read Firebird, it made me less uncomfortable than this!). If you’re reading for fantasy, for most of this book I forgot there was fantasy involved it was mentioned so little. It was plot armour for women being stronger than men, but added nothing of value to the narrative.

*** (This is coming from someone who actively seeks catharsis for the injustices committed against women by men through literature—The Handmaid’s Tale episode 4x10 is a comfort watch for me, so I’m familiar with sick and twisted revenge, but this felt beyond yucky because the aim was not to get back at men who hurt you, it was to systemically oppress and abuse all men and treat them no better than misbehaving dogs or sex slaves.)

Trigger warnings (bold are the ones in the book, italics are the ones I have added)
- Mentions of sexual assault, but no scenes actually depicted Scenes ARE depicted, the FMC being a frequent assailant. One cannot consent when chained. One cannot consent when not told what sexual acts will be taking place beforehand. One cannot consent when you are being held captive. One cannot consent when you are being threatened if you should withdraw consent.
Physical and emotional abuse by a parent and a spouse Sexual abuse by a spouse should be added.
Dubious consent You cannot consent when you are a slave and your life is on the line.
Kidnapping/bondage, sometimes sexual it’s actually non consensual bondage and it isn’t bondage play as a kink, it’s ‘bondage’ as in someone is being held against their will without establishing prior consent or a safe word (aka assault)
The auctioning and selling of men
Sex workers and SEX SLAVES
Mentions of grooming and underage sexual partners you meet them and they’re fresh out of being a toddler
Animal deaths
War themes and military violence
THE AFOREMENTIONED PENIS GUILLOTINE???

That’s it, I’m done.

[Bon · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 2.

I'm not sure this book is empowering at all. You know, the blurb by C.S. Pacat (author of the Captive Prince) had me intrigued but I found What Fury Brings lacking, and at best, to be a less well-written Captive Prince. Many parts of the story structure are similar but lacking any interesting conversations or dynamics.

There is hardly any introspection on the FMC's end, even when witnessing blatant abuse, making her incredibly unlikeable. Sure, there's times where she thinks "wow, what *that* woman does is wrong" but then she's quick to say, "but when I do it, it's fine and necessary and revenge, actually". I did not feel empowered or vindicated in any way with Olerra's actions since she's, as I mentioned, just vain and cruel because she can be. This is also an insta-lust situation...for some reason. Literally immediate. Sanos can't seem to get his mind off how much he wants Olerra despite the fact she's terrible and kidnapped him and it comes up at the weirdest of inopportune times.

The court politics were laughable. The main conflict is between Olerra and her cousin, the latter of which is supposed to be a clever manipulator. She never gives off that vibe at all. Sometimes they would straight up admit to each other what they were really doing and the cousin would say something to the effect of "damn! I'll get you next time!" and all I could imagine was her comedically (and evilly) shaking her fist as she walked away. This isn't bettered by the prose, which read to me like middle YA. It was jarring sometimes to read about such awful things and have them described or talked about like it was a novel for a younger audience. I know this is the author's adult debut, but their past in YA definitely shows.

I'm not sure who this is for, exactly. I wouldn't say it was unreadable, there were some ideas which could've been interesting. I appreciated that the FMC was described as having a rounded belly! But overall, I'd say it's a hard pass...

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i’m sorry, this book was a complete mess. I couldn’t be mad at a society that prioritizes women over men but i don’t like the way the author went about it at all. the whole romance was so off putting between Olerra and Sanos, the fact that he was essentially her slave and prisoner was not something i was a fan of. even more so when they had no chemistry in the first place, they were very clearly two people just thrown together. there’s an emphasis on how Olerra is “better // wants to change” how the kingdom is ruled, but she never acknowledges that things are out of hand in a way that’s believable imo and kept bringing Sanos into scenarios that could get him killed if he wasn’t careful.. it made no sense.

“Instead of making the world a better place, your ancestor flipped it,” Sanos said. “Yes, for that is what fury brings.”

i also want to state that this dynamic with the romance isn’t something i like regardless, so the fact that the gender roles were reversed did nothing for me. she put so much pressure on Sanos to sleep with her and he repeatedly refused, she’d say she wouldn’t force him but then in the next sentence say he’d fuck her no matter what? if you’re confused, so am i cause huh? the plot was convoluted and pointless by the end. things were beyond convenient for Olerra and Sanos was just a bland cutout of a man there to do her bidding. i really think there shouldn’t have been any romance at all in this first book, it moved too fast and i was annoyed.

↛ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and MacMillan Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expect this book is going to be divisive, but for some readers it will be a new favorite. I think what Levenseller is doing here is really interesting - what if we flipped gendered oppression? And what if we subverted the trend of romantasy having a dominant male in and out of the bedroom, by putting together two characters who BOTH tend towards dominance in the bedroom?

Levenseller has been clear - this is NOT intended to be a feminist book because feminism is about equality. This was a conduit for expressing rage over the current and historical treatment of women. And just to make sure we are very clear about who the problem has been, the world-building includes terms for trans and non-binary people so that the oppressed population is specifically cis men. And yet it is a romance with an HEA...

In What Fury Brings, Olerra is a warrior princess in a matriarchal society contending with her sadistic cousin for the role of heir to the throne. In order to shore up her political position, she decides to follow tradition by kidnapping a husband for herself from among the princes of a neighboring kingdom they are at war with. She intends to kidnap the gentlest of the younger princes Andrastus, but through a mixup she instead kidnaps the crown prince Sanos. But he keeps his identity quiet because he fears the reaction of his abusive father. Resistant at first, Sanos and Olerra develop feelings for each other, all the while fending off her cousins assassins and other tactics. Despite the history of women in their kingdom violently dominating the men in their lives, Olerra wants a private partnership and Sanos urges her to rethink some things.

As someone who tends to be sensitive to issues of power dynamics in relationships, there were a few things in this book I had mixed feelings about, but overall I found it to be extremely readable, difficult to put down, and something genuinely fresh in this space. By the end I was surprised at how much I liked it, but again I do think it's going to be very divisive.

There are some things worth noting. Keep in mind that aside from the central romance, part of the point of this book is to highlight the horrific ways women have been treated. So while Olerra doesn't engage in the worst of them, we see characters who do. The kidnapping involves the use of a paralytic that is an aphrodisiac. While Olerra does not take advantage of Sanos in this position, it is commonly used in such scenarios for sexual assault. It is allowable for boys who reach puberty to be sold as concubines and while Olerra finds this distasteful, it is a practice her cousin engages in, along with the torture and sexual assault of members of her harem. There is a guillotine used on the genitals of men convicted as rapists (this part was honestly kind of great).

Generally speaking, men are treated as second class citizens, expected to wear revealing clothes, wax and shave, wear cosmetics, and among the higher classes to be chaste before marriage and monogamous afterward. Now, not everyone in the world is straight or cis. The queen is a lesbian, and the magic from the goddess that women wield is dependent on your true gender as the goddess knows it to be, not on what you were assigned at birth. I think for a book doing something like this with systemic gender oppression it's really important to be thoughtful about how you handle issues like this and I appreciate that Levenseller did.

This won't be a book for everyone, but some people are going to love it. While I was uncomfortable with some of the specifics of the power dynamics between the couple, involving things like humiliation and restraint, overall it really did work for me. I feel like this falls into the category of dark romance, which normally isn't my thing but I appreciate the project of what this book is trying to do. I will be very interested to see the response this fall! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[MusingsofRu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I care, so my violence is different.

Good intentions alone aren’t enough—especially in stories exploring trauma and power. 

The premise seemed to promise a feminist lens on authority and justice, yet the portrayal of the matriarchal society often mirrored patriarchal abuses. The idea that a woman-led society would engage in the same oppressive tactics without significant reflection, evolution, or accountability felt disheartening. I was hoping to see a society that, while imperfect, showed growth—one that embraced empathy, emotional intelligence, and healing, especially for those harmed by systems of control.

But most concerning to me were the power dynamics between the leads. Repeated scenes involving physical restraint, humiliation, types of physical and mental torture and abuse were more traumatic than transformative. The more I sit, the more disappointed I get.

To be honest, I didn’t walk away from the book feeling empowered or challenged—I felt uncomfortable and disillusioned. It reminded me of Firebird. In both cases, the main protagonists’ message seems to be: I care, so my violence is different.

But as readers, we need to see more than good intentions—we need to see the difficult work of change on the page.

Thank you to Feiwel Publishing for my ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you are allergic to men, you'll love this book.

The story sounded so promising flipping the standard script and having a world where women ran everything. Unfortunately it was just a poor excuse to do even more vile things to men and call it justice complete with a "Your gender started this." No thanks, I'm good.

Fortunately for me, I love my husband and don't think all men are evil so... it wasn't for me.

[Kaley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of a world in which all the atrocities committed against women throughout history were instead committed against men had potential, but I could tell from the author’s note alone that Levenseller lacked the nuance and skill required to execute it—and then I read the book, which was even worse.

This is one of the worst things I’ve ever read on just about every level.

The worldbuilding & messaging? Underdeveloped, ineffective, and muddled to the point of being harmful.
The romance? Abusive and sickening to read.
The pacing? Atrocious. Dragging everywhere only to blast through plot twists at whiplash speed.
The prose? Repetitive, lacking all nuance, and constantly hitting you over the head with what it was trying to say. Show, don’t tell. Not show and then also tell.
The character work? Shallow. The characters had no interiority beyond the most basic prerequisite. They both completely lacked any sort of meaningful growth or character arc.

Full review to come.

Content Warnings (from book, annotated by me):
- graphic sexual content
- graphic language
- graphic violence
- mentions of SA but no scenes depicting it FMC SAs MMC multiple times and it is explicitly depicted
- physical and emotional abuse by a parent and spouse and by the FMC to the MMC
- dubious consent it’s not dubcon it’s full on SA and he makes his lack of consent very clear
- kidnapping/bondage, sometimes sexual some of the sexual bondage is nonconsensual
- the auctioning and selling of men
- sex workers to be clear these are abused sex workers who are more equivalent to sex slaves
- mentions of grooming and underaged sexual partners it is more than a mention. We explicitly see a child who has been bought by a pedophile and we are told what will happen to him
- Animal deaths, including war horses (shown inexplicitly on page) and a dog (that died in the past and is only referenced)
- war themes and military violence
- penis guillotine

I would also add:
- use of date rape drugs
- pedophilia
- power play
- severe humiliation in public and often of a sexual nature

[taylor ❤️‍&#x1f525; · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 𝟑.𝟕𝟓 ★

amarra is a kingdom ruled by women, blessed by goddesses with the gift to overpower men. our fmc olerra however, is one of the princesses vying for the throne of amarra and also happened to be born without the gift. in order to win over nobility she is determined to follow her kingdoms traditions by kidnapping a husband. olerra is determined to kidnap a prince of the enemy kingdom, and is successful except for one thing. instead of kidnapping the spare, she ends up kidnapping the heir, sanos. sanos is determined to make it home, no matter what the cost. at least until he finds himself wavering on his convictions.

from the authors note you can tell that the author writes from a place of rage, flipping the patriarchy on its head and writing about a world where men are treated as women have been historically treated. every single character in this book intrigues you, making you want to dive deeper into the story to uncover their motives.

was this book hot? yes. was the pacing of the romantic relationship too fast? also yes. i think if the story was spread out over multiple books the author definitely could of had an epic slow burn on her hands.

this is one of the books that you have to go in just for the vibes. don’t think about it for too long or too hard. if you’re able to do that, you’ll definitely enjoy it. i could not put this bad boy down. 🤸🏻‍♀️

𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🗡️ forced proximity
🗡️ feminine rage
🗡️ unique magic systems
🗡️ plus sized fmc
🗡️ political intrigue

———————————

𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 ⋆˚࿔

female rage? count me the hell in 🤸🏻‍♀️

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 / 𝘧𝘦𝘪𝘸𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

[Heather H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. This was a lot.
This is more of a 2.5 for me, at best, as it is currently written.

I requested this ARC because the premise of a world lacking men where women must kidnap their husbands sounded fun.
I want to love this, but I need a few things for this to be one I recommend. My opinions are my own and this review is voluntary.

The good:
1. I literally laughed reading the authors note. I love a solid sense of humor, and the stint about not being for minors or her father absolutely sent me. Instant brownie points.

2. The premise. I love the idea of a world run by women because of the nurturing and empathy we have to offer. More on this in the bad though….

3. This read as satire to me. I’m not 100% sure that was the authors intent, but a satirical dark romantasy just kinda fit my current reading mood.

4. This was a fun, quick read tied up with a cute HEA.

A quote that made me giggle: “Men were unfit to rule. They were easy to provoke, and they always thought with their cocks instead of their heads, which was why they were better suited to the bedroom.”

Now for the bad….
1. The marketing for this needs to be corrected. This is a dark romantasy. Yes, the trigger warnings are present and I most definitely advise checking them, but this is not marketed as dark and needs to be. I enjoy dark, but went into this thinking it was going to be cute/funny and the subject matter is definitely not. I would have been irritated if I purchased this under the current marketing.

2. Although I stated this read as satire, it still needs progression. I get that it’s about female fury, but why does that have to interpret to cruelty and embarrassment under the guise of “an eye for an eye”?

3. The immaturity of these characters was difficult to read. Maybe it’s the lack of emotional maturity, I’m not sure. But even with this reading as satire, I wanted some kind of emotional connection and there was none. I would absolutely not want to live in a world ruled by the prince or princess.

4. The ending felt rushed. The beginning was funny, the middle was annoying because there was no character progression, and the ending was just not all that satisfying aside from the HEA.

Examples: “How is that any different from what you’re doing to men here?” he demanded. “The difference, Prince, is that the women of Amarra became this way to counter the way men were treating them. Your sex started this. The current point, however, is that it’s ridiculous for you to be offended by the way you’re being treated when your own people practice it. It’s just always been in your favor until now.”

So, the men treating women in these manners is frowned upon by women so they decide to flip the script and return the “favor”? Why not aim for a better world with equality?

“Instead of making the world a better place, your ancestor flipped it,” Sanos said. “Yes, for that is what fury brings.”

I get that that is what fury brings, hence the title of the book, BUT not an ounce of growth in 500 years? Not a single person has said “this is wrong, we should aim for equality.” Even the FMC, while stating she desires change, is so caught up in her culture that she’s not really putting in the effort. Becoming crown princess shouldn’t be the only goal here. Her response to him, if she were showing growth, should be that she needs him to help her earn the crown so she can make changes. That just doesn’t seem to be happening.

“to help you compare your country to mine and see the world through our eyes. I’m not saying it’s right. Just that there is a reason for it.”

Chin scratch. Brow furrowed. What? So wrong is okay as long as you have a good reason? What is happening.

“She would not be abusive. She was not her cousin.”

Emotional abuse, anyone? Constantly demeaning, embarrassing, and essentially enslaving these men just because of their gender isn’t abuse?

“One thing I wish I could make men understand,” she said, “is empathy.”

Is empathy in the room with us? Because I expected a female run country to be filled with it. Fury or not.

[Marine ☾ marine_books · Rating 1 out of 5]

tws : 🟣 ; abus sexuel ; captivité ; emprise ; maltraitance ; torture ; humiliations ; meurtre ; syndrôme de Stockholm ; harcèlement sexuel

Je pense sincèrement que je serai à jamais traumatisée par ce livre.
C'est une romantasy où les rôles sont inversés, l'autrice a voulu créer un monde qui crie "à bat le patriarcat" et franchement, j'étais hyper intriguée au début. Je me suis dit "trop bien, un livre féministe qui dénonce les abus que nous, les femmes, vivons quotidiennement". Et bien, je ne pouvais pas être plus loin que la réalité. Ce livre n'est absolument pas féministe.

Dans ce livre, l'héroïne produit des abus sexuels sur le protagoniste masculin. Il y a même un v i o l non dénoncé. J'ai lu ce livre pour un éditeur et franchement, s'il paraît un jour en français, je ne vous le conseille pas.

À partir d'ici, je risque de spoil. ⚠️

La relation “amoureuse” est remplie d’abus et est toxique. Olerra capture Sanos et le retient contre son gré. Il n’est pas libre de ses mouvements, il est attaché et il subit absolument tout. Elle le fait percer à l’oreille contre son gré ; il est rasé et épilé contre son gré ; elle se touche devant lui sans son consentement explicite pendant qu’il est attaché au lit et qu’il ne peut pas s’enfuir. C’est extrêmement problématique. De plus, elle passe son temps à l’humilier. Elle lui fait vivre des choses dégradantes. Ce n’est pas parce que Sanos est un homme qu’il faut lui faire subir des agressions de ce type. Olerra semble complètement inconsciente des abus qu’elle lui fait subir et ne comprend pas pourquoi il ne veut pas de ses faveurs sexuelles, ce qui la rend même en colère. Ce que j’ai trouvé aussi dérangeant, c’est que l’autrice écrit que Sanos ressent tout de même du désir. Le consentement est flou, notamment lorsque Olerra touche l’anus de Sanos sans le prévenir avant de le faire, et qu’il s’attendait à autre chose qu’à ça.

Dans l’ensemble, j’ai été très mal à l’aise pendant toute ma lecture, et si j’avais choisi d’acheter ce livre pour le lire, j’aurais abandonné ma lecture au moment où Olerra se touche devant Sanos alors qu’il est contraint de regarder car il n’est pas libre de ses mouvements. L’autrice tente de dénoncer ce que subissent les femmes mais fait commettre à ses personnages les mêmes atrocités. Elle joue avec le consentement floue et le fait qu’Olerra soit une femme pour faire “accepter” plus facilement les abus. Je suis globalement très déçue car l’intrigue avait du potentiel, mais malheureusement, j’ai trouvé qu’il y avait un trop gros rapport de force entre Olerra et Sanos qui fait que je n’ai pas du tout apprécié la romance. La fin du roman était sympa, où on ressentait un peu plus l’alchimie entre les deux, même si la relation reste ternie par le reste. Les intrigues politiques étaient intéressantes à suivre et j’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Sanos.

[Dayle (the literary llama) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Applause! THIS is how you do great fantasy world building in minimal pages while keeping plot, pacing, and character interest on point.

It’s not perfect. A bit heavy-handed overall and a patriarchal/matriarchal reversal that isn’t a feminist take but a dramatic fictional treatise on inequality no matter who’s at the top. It’s the type of story that would have killed me with depth if I was in my early 20’s mindset. Now, at 40, I’m like, I get it, acknowledged. Now entertain me with romantasy!

Thankfully, it does! ‘Cause it’s just an addicting good read with great build, sympathetic characters, bitchy villains and evil ideals, and vivid visuals. A romance that is built in layers of sweet, lusty, combative, and emotional connection… and zings of hot spice. A fully formed world in miniature but with plenty of room to grow and explore people and places mentioned. It’s essentially a standalone (which I think I loved most of all) with the option to open up into a serial romance series (with a new couple taking lead in the next book, etc.).

Overall, I was highly entertained by the romance and shifts to a mutual understanding.


CW: Graphic sexual content and graphic violence. Many heavy themes. Please research “What Fury Brings Author’s Note” for full list and details.

* I received a free early copy from the publisher.

[Ashley]

DNF @ 40%

This started off so strongly because of how unique the storyline is.. but the further I went into this, I couldn't do it. First off, I usually enjoy romantasy books that have a stronger plot aside from the romance and while the messaging of this was strong - it is very romance/ spice heavy. And the romance & spice felt very immature to me. I just don't think this one is for me, sadly.

Second, the synopsis really got me excited about this book and I loved how the women were the strong ones and the men were considered "weak". I thought it was so interesting that the women had to kidnap a husband but I think the writing & story just wasn't executed well enough for me.

I do think some will enjoy this though, so still give it a shot.

[lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf’d at 43%

i think i was anticipating more of a feminine rage angle from the premise which sounded promising but this was ultimately a shallow, surface level take on a matriarchy cosplaying a patriarchy.

i tried reading along with the audiobook and the male narrator cannot express emotion for the life of him!! who allowed this gravelly, growly, batman-adjacent narrator to be so monotone 😭

thank you to netgalley and macmillan audio for the alc