Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

*Spoiler free, but spoilers for Furyborn*

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.

Furyborn was fire. And Claire Legrand just stoked the flames she created with the first book. I adored Furyborn with a passion and I was so looking forward to seeing where the sequel would take the world, the characters, and the plot.

I’m honestly not sure where to start or even how to write this review in it’s entirety. I don’t know how my words could capture the true essence of this book. How it was everything of a sequel. How it shattered my heart to pieces. How it took what the first book had, expanded it, and made it something new and something amazing. I don’t think there are words to describe how much I love it. I’m going to try though.

I’ve fallen in love with Legrand’s writing. Starting this book felt like coming home. It picks up pretty much where Furyborn left off and I had no problem slipping back into the story. Sure, I forgot a few names and situations, but the book does a good job at reminding you what happened. It was easy to fall back into the rhythm.

Going into this book, I wanted to get a better look at this world. It is so expansive and I wanted to explore it. And boy did that happen. Eliana and Rielle travel to all over the place. So many places are visited and you really get a good look at the innerworkings of their existence. There is so much travel, but it never feels tiring or confusing. Everything is so clear and concise and easy to picture. It was beautiful and I love what I was able to see. Secrets of this world are being uncovered and it made me scream internally a lot haha. New things were added and old things were focused on and it made it so you were pulled in by every single aspect of the story.

So much happens. So, so much. This book is huge and it is just big event after big event. Despite this breakneck pace, it didn’t feel rushed. Everything was fleshed out and details were laid at your feet for easy access. Fight scenes were amazing, quiet scenes were amazing, the dialogue was amazing. It was so easy to be in this world, with these characters.

The twists were incredible. The very last one came out of NOWHERE and I’m still shocked about it. I’m still shocked about this entire book honestly haha.

Oh, Eliana, Rielle, Simon, Remy, Audric, Ludivine, and all the new characters introduced. I love them so much. I love their thoughts, their feelings, how they handled things.  It was all so brilliantly done. Relationships were so complicated and it was amazing to see it all unfold. Despite the time difference between the two POVs, the felt connected. The parallels were something to behold. I can’t say too much due to spoilers, but I loved how Eliana and Rielle contradicted each other and how their stories have changed from the first book. I love how different they are. And I love how they are so similar at the same time.

There are a few plot points that I’m nervous about going forward. I’m confused about one, since I’m not quite sure what happened. If my theory is correct, I think it will work out beautifully, but I’m just not sure. And then there was this twist that I don’t know why it was brought in? There’s also this inkling of something that I’m not sure of, due to my personal tastes. It’s so small and I don’t know if anything will come of it, but it’s something I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out. And then there’s a bigger one that might cause trouble, but I’m waiting until the third book to pass judgment on that one!

This book was incredible, spectacular, amazing, and so many other adjectives. I loved it so, so much. It took this series to a new height. I adore it so much.

Kingsbane comes out May 21, 2019! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!

Thank you for reading!