Kingsbane (Empirium, #2)
***Description and review is spoiler for Furyborn (Empirium, #1)***
Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien — but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.
Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption — fear of becoming another Rielle — keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted by embracing her mother's power or rejecting it forever.
Author: Claire Legrand | Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
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Rating: 4 / 5
“Like the sun and the moon. Like day and night. I am the shore and you are the sea, my darling. The wild, wild sea — ever-changing and mighty. I need your passion, and you need something steady to come home to. An anchor, warm and sunlit.”
“It is a great responsibility, to be trusted with another’s heart.”
UGH WHAT.
Hello there, if you are here because you just read Furyborn, I implore you: SAVE YOURSELF. DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL THE FINAL BOOK OF THE TRILOGY IS PUBLISHED. Just kidding. Sort of. Just be warned: This is a HELLA cliffhanger. You will have a visceral need to pick up the next book instantly.
Quick review because we’re midway through the trilogy here. Ultimately, this wasn’t a perfect book. It had solid book-two vibes, aka it very much felt like a bridge between the first book and the last. There was a lot of plot-moving. But I did think that Claire Legrand continued to do some very brave / powerful things in this book with the way she writes these characters, from who they are at their core to the small ailments that affect their everyday. And that ending. Wow. THINGS JUST GOT REAL CRAZY REAL FAST.
In Furyborn, I found myself most drawn to Rielle’s chapters. Now, I can’t wait to get back to Eliana. That might have something to do with the fact that Rielle’s arc was like slow torture — no spoilers, but my heartttttt. But I’ve also read that Claire has also shifted to loving to write Eliana more, so I think that makes perfect sense.
I can’t wait to read book three and see how much all these characters ultimately grow. I have a feeling it’s going to be a lot.