Reviewed by: E
First in a New Series!
“My name is Kaeleen Donovan. I’m a Theosian-a minor goddess. They call me Fury.”
By day, I run the Crossroads Cleaning Company, and I also read fortunes and cast hexes at Dream Wardens, a magical consulting shop. But by night, I’m oath-bound to Hecate, goddess of the Crossroads. Hecate charged me from birth with the task of hunting down Abominations who come in off the World Tree and sending them back to Pandoriam.
When the Thunderstrike-an ancient artifact from the time of the Weather Wars-is stolen by the Order of the Black Mist, Hecate orders me to find the magical device. The chaos magicians are out to upset the balance that Gaia instilled during the World Shift. But I soon discover that the leader of the Black Mist is out to do more than stir up trouble-he’s looking to set up a new world order with himself on the throne. Caught between two rival forces, will my friends and I be able to survive as we search for the Thunderstrike and attempt to stop a war that could bring about the end of the civilization?
This blurb came from Goodreads
I have enjoyed Galenorn’s writing since I discovered her in my university’s bookstore as a freshman. Over the intervening years she has kept the series I started reading fresh as well as introducing me to new worlds and characters. When I found out she was working on something very different I was quite excited and reading the blurb increased my interest. Since a young child I tended to enjoy most stories that bring Gods and Goddesses into human lives and their ensuing escapades so I still have a huge weakness for those types of stories. Galenorn’s Fury Rising seemed right up that alley, so I got comfortable looking forward to an entertaining read.
The story started with Kaeleen on the hunt for an Abomination and that scene provided a great introduction to just how vivid and different her world is. I also got to meet some other reoccurring characters and see how Kaeleen tended to interact. The different elements of magic, technology, and the cost to living and participating in such a world became evident as Kaeleen worked to finish her mission. The contrast between night-Kaeleen aka Fury, and day-Kaellen was rather striking as was her relationship with Hecate depending on which face she wore.
I enjoyed meeting Kaeleen’s friends and seeing glimpses into their particular species and how some things remained in common while others were very distinctly “other.” It was also good to see regardless of their level of power and influence most who inhabit Earth in this time weren’t the strongest and had to be wary on more then one front. It almost seemed as if things were holding in a precarious balance but different factions were working to sway the pendulum. I really think as this series progresses, the tension between those with some form of magic or ability and those without will increase as technology improves and old Artifacts are “discovered.” There seems to be a probably belief that some can amass enough power to gain control regardless of the ever present memory and threat of Gaia.
As much as I enjoyed reading Fury Rising, I found the world-building to be very complex and sometimes slightly confusing as I tried to put the different pieces together into a complete package. As I became more invested in the characters and the action grew, either the world-building smoothed out or I stopped noticing. I really enjoyed the character interaction and I think it was one of the story’s strongest points. I have high hopes with a large amount of the world introduced the next installment will focus on the characters, action, and augmenting my view of the world.
I am pleased Galenorn has introduced this new world, series, and characters. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
I give Fury Rising a B/B-