What Fury Brings: Characters, spice level, triggers & review
What Fury brings is a dark satirical revenge romantasy set in a matriarchal kingdom, and it may cause some polarizing opinions.
Tricia Levenseller’s adult romantasy debut has already sparked plenty of buzz and in this What Fury Brings review, I’ll go into why in my book review.
In a world where women hold the throne, this book isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers or spice it up with reversed gender roles. And if you’re interested in the What Fury Brings spice levels and which spicy chapters to keep an eye on, I’ll cover that too.
I’ll also break down What Fury Brings trigger warnings for anyone who wants to go in prepared… because this world is DARK. Plus the What Fury Brings synopsis for those deciding if this gender-flipped fantasy is for them.
And of course, I’ve listed the What Fury Brings characters in case you need them.
Happy reading friends!
What Fury Brings synopsis.
It is only a matter of time before you want me, before you ache for me...
For centuries women have reigned in Amarra.
Now Olerra, fearless warrior princess and queen potential, is ready to make her bid for the throne.
But to do so she must prove her worth by kidnapping and taming a husband. Not just any - the best. The most beautiful prince of their greatest enemy, the kingdom of Brutus, where men are still in control.
Then in a terrible twist of fate, Olerra steals the wrong prince. Her betrothed, a proud, hot-headed fighter, does not want to be mastered - nor to admit the growing attraction he feels towards his captor.
As scheming rivals gather to threaten the kingdom and her life, can Olerra make her plan work before her heart takes over?
What Fury Brings is an unforgettably fierce and spicy romantasy featuring a gender reversed power dynamic, a matriarchal world and kidnapped husband.
*This book contains mature content and scenes of a graphic nature, please see the author's note and trigger warnings before reading*
Get What Fury Brings here.
What Fury Brings characters.
Main characters.
Art shared by author, Tricia Levenseller @tricialevenseller via Instagram. Artist: @e_kath_art
What Fury Brings is told in third-person narrative from the alternating dual perspectives of:
Female main character, Olerra; and
Main male character, Sanos.
General Olerra Corasene, Queen Potential of Amarra
Queen Potential of the matriarchal kingdom of Amarra, Olerra, is one of the main characters in What Fury Brings. She’s strong, plus sized, confident and capable. Actually, more than capable, one of the best fighters in the kingdom.
However she has a closely guarded secret… she hasn’t been goddess-blessed to be strong, like the rest of the women in the kingdom of Amarra. She leans towards the side of justice and equality for all, helping marginalised communities and having a stronger moral compass than her cousin, Glenaerys, who is vying with her for the throne.
Prince Sanos, Ladicus of Brutus.
Mistaken for his younger brother, Prince Andastrus, Prince Sanos is the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Brutus. His father is an abusive tyrant in this patriarchal kingdom and Sanos is all about protecting his mother and sister from his father’s wrath.
Supporting and minor characters.
Ydra
Queen Lemya
Glenaerys
King Atalius
Vorika
Prince Andrastus (Sanos’ brother)
Prince Canus (Sanos’ brother)
Prince Ikanos (Sanos’ brother)
Prince Trantos (Sanos’ brother)
Princess Emorra (Sanos’ sister)
Ferida (Sanos’ mother)
Toria
Daneryn
Shaelwyn (Glenaerys’ mother)
Cassia
Usstra
Enadra
Athon
Countess Ingra
Stryan
Aevia
Vernys
Barov
Revlin Darigan
Ersha
Obar
Meyla
Riakah
Lumen
Jurn
Iseri
Menina
Mentioned characters (off-page).
Vanus (Sanos’ childhood best friend)
Ivanisa (Olerra’s mother)
Madam Blanchette
Review: What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
Spice level: 🌶 🌶
2.5/5, mild to medium open door spice.
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 don't ship the romance
- 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.
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.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.
What Fury Brings FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
⚠️ Some answers may spoil What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution. ⚠️
Here are the answers to all your common FAQs.
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Violence
War
Confinement
Classism
Death
Animal cruelty
Animal death
Sexual content
Sexual harassment
Misogyny
Sexism
Child abuse
Gore
Kidnapping
Drug use
Slavery
Trafficking
Grief
Gaslighting
Objectification
Colonisation
War
Medical trauma
Injury/injury detail
Castration
What is the age rating for What Fury Brings?
What Fury Brings is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to dark satire, adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.
Is there spice in What Fury Brings?
Yes there are open door spicy scenes in What Fury Brings!
Spice level: 🌶🌶
2.5/5, mild to medium open door spice.
What are the spicy chapters in What Fury Brings?
Chapter 7: 🌶
Chapter 17: 🌶🌶
Chapter 21: 🌶🌶
Chapter 28: 🌶🌶
Enjoyed reading What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller? You may also enjoy reading:
The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole
Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair
In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
A Fate Inked in Blood | A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
