Claire Legrand (1) (1986–)

Disclaimer: I received this book free but that has in no way affected by review.

This book is love at first sight. LOOK AT THAT COVER! It is all fantasy & medieval brilliance & swords! When I saw it, I knew absolutely nothing about it, except that I needed to read it. Imagine how happy I was to get an ARC! How though, do the contents fare under scrutiny?

The book is glorious … as epic fantasy should be. Rielle & Eliana, are two women, separated by centuries but united by the prophecies show more surrounding the Sun Queen & the Blood Queen. One is a source of light and goodness, the other of death and destruction.

Rielle was my favorite. A young, impetuous woman who has the ability to use magic in all 7 elemental forms. Veneration of the elemental magic is tied so strongly into the world’s political and religious systems that her extraordinary abilities put her at odds with each. She has uncommon talent which leads others to fear her.

Centuries later, Eliana is a streetwise bounty hunter with formidable skills. She finds herself investigating the mysterious disappearance of women and girls from her city. The criminals are taking poor and disadvantaged females, knowing that no one will put up a fuss when they go missing. Eliana, can be hard to like. She has nearly impenetrable walls up around her heart but it’s obvious that there is more to her than meets the eye.

The author does an excellent job of balancing the story between the two main POV characters. It is no small feat to keep two divergent stories going, at different time periods and still maintain a good pace and momentum. Ms. Legrand is a skilled writer who handles the challenge well. The story flows, and the reader is pushed along like a white water rafter without a paddle. Who are these women? Are THEY the Sun/Blood Queen? What will be their fate?

The opening prologue of the book is explosive and the rest of the book lived up to its promise. I know that this is the first book in the series, so I will be following the author’s social media closely so I can be sure not to miss the next installment. Looking forward to seeing more from Rielle and Eliana.

Song for this book: Kolnidur by Jonsi show less

These last few years have been excellent for fantasy novels. They are escapism at its finest, as the worlds in such novels are so far removed from our own that we can forget about the insane headlines or the rest of our problems. The heroes allow us to live vicariously through them, fighting insurmountable odds to make a difference and change their world for the better. Plus, no matter how crazy the fantasy world is, it still makes more sense than the United States right about now.

I say all show more this because it shows I am thoroughly enjoying the fantasy genre these days. It is better than any so-called beach read. Novels like Furyborn make me happy. The combination of a world that contains magic and mythical beings, where women quite literally rule and save the day against overwhelming odds not only captures and holds my interest, such stories give me hope. More importantly, they inspire me. Often what the heroes of these stories have most of is a desire for change and an urgent need to right a wrong. I may not be able to call on the elements, cast spells, or wield a sword, but I can use the weapons I do have – my voice, my vote, my money – to right wrongs in my world and influence changes for the benefit of others. Such is the power of the fantasy novel.

Furyborn fits right into the reasons I love the fantasy genre. The story occurs within two very richly developed worlds with plenty of action and suspense to keep things interesting. There are multiple power struggles at play, only some of which we know. The situations within which Rielle and Eliana find themselves are often morally ambiguous, making it easier to sympathize with the difficult decisions they must make. The enemy is nebulous, mostly hidden; even as the story ends, we remain uncertain what the enemy’s true purpose is. There is a complexity to the entire story which allows it to transcend to the next level of story-telling.

What impresses me most about Furyborn is its complexity as well as the fact that Ms. Legrand does not spoon-feed her audience the particulars of her world. There is none of the lengthy exposition of the political situations or detailed descriptive passages building the world. Instead, we are thrust into Rielle’s and Eliana’s lives with no backstory. We must discern details about these worlds from context clues, and I love it. The action is intense and nonstop because there are no breaks to explain the situations. Moreover, we empathize with Rielle and Eliana because we don’t have the full picture; we only see the world through their eyes, especially in the beginning. Because Eliana’s story occurs 1,000 years after Rielle’s, we can piece together tidbits of information to form a greater picture of what happened during those lost years, which then provides greater context for Rielle’s story during the next narrator shift. Not only does this all make the story more interesting, it forces you to be an active reader, involved in deciphering the clues left by Ms. Legrand to build her world on your own. This, in turn, allows more room for flexibility in interpretation, as no one reader is going to have the same mental image as another.

In this way, Ms. Legrand takes a major chance on Furyborn. Not every reader is going to appreciate the role she forces readers to take. After all, this is almost the exact opposite of current trends, in which we are fed news at such a rapid pace that it leaves no room for interpretation or study; we have to rely on experts to give us our opinions about events. In Furyborn, Ms. Legrand takes a step back and requires readers to seek out the news and take the time to understand it without outside commentary. Some readers will not take the time to do so and will find the story confusing as a result. This is their loss. For the right reader, the one who not only recognizes what Ms. Legrand is doing, appreciates it, and becomes the intended careful reader, the story that unfolds is remarkable in its detail, its gray morality, and its exploration of survival and power with two heroines that elicit sympathy and generate empathy for their complicated plights. show less

Victoria likes everything just so. She likes organization, studying, and making sure her best friend Lawrence is doing what he is supposed to. Her grades, ever immaculate, have been always something she's had that make her parents proud of her. But, when Victoria discovers a B placed next to one of her classes all she can think about is finding a way to change her grade. She needs to make sure that her parents don't find out because without everything being simply perfect in her life who is show more she? Her stress gets to her enough that she disregards Lawrence's rather odd behavior and when she discovers him missing she feels awful. Lawrence's disappearance is explained by his parents as him just helping out a relative - she doesn't by it. Everything has been turned upside down ever since she got that B and ever since Lawrence went away. Victoria soon discovers mystery and deceit around The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls. There is something going on in her town and Mrs. Cavendish is the prime suspect.

I loved Legrand's writing. It fit right in with the story she created. It was spooky and mysterious. I enjoyed most of the story. Even Victoria with her attitude towards perfection was a great character to follow although, she seemed to come to terms with things rather slowly. I loved that Lawrence was basically classified as a misfit. He wasn't good at many subjects other than music. He had a real passion and knew what he wanted out of life. Playing the piano made him happy but everyone else had a problem with it. Victoria nagged him about it (she secretly liked his piano playing) and it drove his parents crazy. Another thing I liked about the story was that it was very reminiscent of Coraline and Breadcrumbs. Mrs. Cavendish could have been Coraline's Other Mother. She even had an affinity for bugs. The way Victoria went after her friend reminded me of how Hazel from Breadcrumbs went on a journey to bring her friend back safely from harm. The only difference was I could tell there was possible rumblings of feelings between Victoria and Lawrence.

I honestly loved most of the story and I've rated it pretty high but as there was a lot of things I enjoyed about the story, there was a good many things I didn't. There were moments in the story that didn't sit too well with me. I don't know if the story was dragging on at some points or what but I had the unsettled feeling that I wished some parts of the story were rewritten. There is something huge I can point out about the book I didn't enjoy which was the amount of violence it had for an MG book. I mean Mrs. Cavendish was pure evil! She would make people live their worst nightmares and get rid of their "problems" in a horrible way. She would whip their hands until they were bleeding which unrealistically no one talked about after it occurred. I mean your hand must be stinging at least and you don't mention it at all? The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls gets really dark very suddenly and if you don't like that type of book I wouldn't advise you to read it. If you are okay with the grim situations in this story than you might think it's fantastic and very much like Coraline with its own twists. show less

Since 2016, many stories have celebrated feminine ferocity and decrying patriarchal societies. In that regard, Extasia by Claire Legrand is no different. What sets Ms. Legrand’s version apart is that it feels much rawer and angrier than those books that came before hers, and I am here for it.

Ms. Legrand never fails to impress me with her writing. Her words are so evocative, and her novels are almost always atmospheric. She knows how to blend fantasy, realism, and horror to create something show more unique. In Extasia, she creates something that is much a horror story as a warning about the rising conservatism plaguing our country these days.

Extasia is a difficult story to read. What Amity and her sisters face and the ideology behind Haven are, quite frankly, disgusting. Plus, there is so much anger coursing through the story, coming from all sides. All of this makes Extasia less an escapist read and more one that serves as a cautionary tale or wake-up call for those paying attention to what is happening in the world right now.

After reading several of Ms. Legrand’s novels now, it feels as if writing is a form of therapy for her. Her stories are always dark and full of complex topics. It is as if she pours out her fears and worries onto paper as a coping mechanism. However, her novels almost always have an element of hope to lighten the darkness. This hope serves as a balm against all of the bad. Thus, if Extasia is a warning against the shift to extreme conservatism, it is also a reminder that the light always returns no matter how dark the night is. show less