Thursday, June 4, 2015

Audiobook Review: Chantress Fury


Chantress Fury (Chantress, #3)Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Series: Chantress, #3
Released: May 5th 2015
Publisher: Audible Studios
Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Audible

Power and politics, heartbreak and danger, magic and mermaids - Lucy must conquer it all in the compelling conclusion to the enchanting series that began with Chantress and continued with Chantress Alchemy.
With a song Lucy can control the wind and the water; she can bring castles and kingdoms to their feet. Since Lucy mastered her powers, King Henry has kept her close. And now he's called her to investigate attempted murder - by a mermaid. All Lucy can glean from the creature they've captured is a warning: The sea is coming. We are coming. And we will drown you all.
And then the floods begin. Swaths of London are submerged as the people scramble to defend themselves against the water, and the monsters, that are flooding their streets. As mistrust of Lucy's magic grows, the king relies on Nat, Lucy's great love, to guide them through the storm. But Nat is cold and distant to Lucy. He swore his love only a year before, but now he calls her stranger. Lucy is determined to defeat this powerful new magic alone if she must. But then she hears an eerie song within the water.... Can it mean she is not the last Chantress after all?

Chantress Fury, the final book in Amy Butler Greenfield’s YA historical fantasy trilogy, continues in the same vein as its two predecessors. It’s beautifully written, gorgeously detailed, deeply emotional and romantic. Greenfield’s writing is elegant and perfectly polished. It’s something I always admired about her – her style is graceful and flawless without being flashy or disruptive. She also does a lot of research, so even though her story is filled with magic, it is loosely based in reality. King Henry in Lucy’s story is Henry Seymour, an actual historical figure and a distant relative to King Charles I.


Chantress Fury takes place in the early 1670’s and the world Greenfield paints for us is gorgeous: a dash of court politics, a formidable enemy, considerable magic and a romance to remember. Lucy truly discovers her powers in this book, but with such powers come solitude and isolation. People either fear her or want to use her in some way, and besides, King Henry leaves her very little time to socialize. Lucy’s loneliness was heartbreaking in this book and the amount of emotion that came through made me admire Greenfield even more.

I mentioned the romance, which I loved from the start, but oddly enough it was Fury’s weakest point. I wanted to see a united front from Lucy and Nat, but instead I saw stubbornness and a whole lot of misunderstandings. Truly these two needed to talk things through and face their enemies together, instead of fretting over silly things and being pigheaded and proud.

Mary Jane Wells narrates the story beautifully, just like the previous two. She has a soft British accent and a really pleasant voice, which is just right for our Lucy. She was able to convey and even amplify the feeling of loneliness and isolation. She mostly narrates stories I’m not really interested in (some historical romances, for example), but I hope she’ll get a chance to read more YA. She is truly wonderful.

Minor grievances with romance aside, the Chantress trilogy is everything you could ever hope to read. The writing is smooth and just wonderful, the world is gorgeous, and Lucy is a character you’ll never forget.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.


15 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever heard of this series before, but I'm sold. Your review is gorgeous, as always, Maja. ;)

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  2. Maja, I remember reading the first book and LOVING it. I haven't gotten around to the last two books, but now that they're out, I definitely will! And I'm dying to listen to this on audio. I'm glad to hear that this CHANTRESS FURY is just as good as the previous two - it's pretty rare to hear that all three books in a trilogy are good! I don't think I'd mind the romance issue as much. So glad you loved this one, and great review!

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  3. I remember having the first book as part of a tour a long time ago. But I haven't picked up or continued the series ever since. I can't really tell what happened either so I think I may need to reread. I'm glad this series is still going strong. Great review, Maja. :)

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  4. Now I mostly wonder how Henry became king ;)

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  5. Sounds like a wonderful series. I've been avoiding YA lately, but this seems a bit different. I'll have to check out the first book.

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  6. I agree that the romance was the hardest part ot like for me, but I really enjoyed the world building and how everything was present and tied and how the climax worked to proper Lucy's character growth!

    Great review Maja!

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  7. Too bad the romance wasn't perfect in this one (i hate it when they just won't talk to each other!), but the rest of this one sounds really good.

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  8. "I wanted to see a united front from Lucy and Nat, but instead I saw stubbornness and a whole lot of misunderstandings."

    Well, boo Maja! That's one thing that absolutely drives me crazy with any romance - the inability to communicate and the resulting misunderstandings. Clearly that didn't ruin the book for you though, and everything else sounds amazing. I need to try this series!

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  9. I always love books set during this period and it's great to see the story is so well done. I'm always so anxious about last books so I'm happy when it's like that.

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  10. Well shoot! Now I want to buy the first book! I had gotten the second book somehow but never had the first so I think I gave it away. I hadn't heard much about it or something. Now I think it sounds exactly like something I would love!

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  11. I can already tell that I will love the era and setting this take place in! Wonderful review Maja, I had no idea about this series and now I want to add it to my TBR pile. I really do love these type of reads.

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  12. Interesting - I didn't know about this series, but your description of the writing style tickles my interest. The weak romance rooted in lack of communication - ha! The mother of all frustrations :) Clearly I need to check it out - because getting frustrated is so much fun! :)))

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  13. What a beautiful cover! I am in love. I wish I had the time to buy it and read it for myself but I just don't have the time :(

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  14. I remember reading the first book and enjoying it, but never felt the need to continue on with this series. I'm happy though that with the exception of the romance, the finale ends on a good note.

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