ARC Review--Fury by Rachel Vincent

1986: Rebecca Essig leaves a slumber party early but comes home to a massacre—committed by her own parents. Only one of her siblings has survived. But as the tragic event unfolds, she begins to realize that other than a small army of six-year-olds, she is among very few survivors of a nationwide slaughter.

The Reaping has begun.

Present day: Pregnant and on the run with a small band of compatriots, Delilah Marlow is determined to bring her baby into the world safely and secretly. But she isn’t used to sitting back while others suffer, and she’s desperate to reunite Zyanya, the cheetah shifter, with her brother and children. To find a way for Lenore the siren to see her husband. To find Rommily’s missing Oracle sisters. To unify this adopted family of fellow cryptids she came to love and rely on in captivity.

But Delilah is about to discover that her role in the human versus cryptid war is destined to be much larger—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


There has never been a Rachel Vincent book I didn't love and Fury is definitely continues that streak! This is the end of the Menagerie trilogy and it's about to go out with a bang! No one will escape from this story unscathed and I mean that in terms of characters and readers because omg this is the end and Rachel pulls no punches!

Delilah and the rest of her friends who escaped the Spectacle are basically living on the lam in hiding. They are doing everything they can to stay under the radar and just survive. It doesn't help that Delilah is also ten and half months pregnant...and yes, I said ten and half! Poor Delilah doesn't follow a human pregnancy, since she's furiae and her baby daddy, Gallagher is a red cap. What that exactly will mean for her baby has yet to be revealed and likely won't until after her birth--for Delilah refuses to call the baby an "it" and refers to said baby as "her".

What makes this story slightly different from its predecessors is that instead of the multiple points of view, this time it's most Delilah and a third person account of something that happened in 1986. It involves cryptids and a very dark history. As the accounts continue, we slowly, every so slowly, see how it connects to present day.

Delilah and her friends want nothing more than just to live an ordinary life, one without fear and having to constantly look over their shoulders. Delilah wants that more than anything for her unborn child as well. She and her friends also want to rescue those that they have been separated from, starting with Mirela and Lala. In the meantime, Gallagher is searching for the man who made him and Delilah perform for his entertainment and basically led to their having a child together.

This book was sooo emotional for so many reasons. It's the final book of the series and as I mentioned, Rachel pulls no punches. It was gut wrenching to say the least. The friction between humans and cryptids continues to grow more hostile and we will see that is nothing new, based on the flashbacks of the mysterious character we will get to know. This is basically like two stories that slowly form into one.

My one regret from this story was the lack of time for romance between Delilah and Gallagher. They were brought together by forces beyond their control and throughout this series I've been rooting for them. While they have a tentative bond in place already, there was always room for something more. But they had many hills to climb before they could get there. And then that ending...wow, just wow. Rachel, you truly know how to write a book that totally tugs at all one's heartstrings!

The pacing to this one was unique, for awhile we don't really know what's going to happen with our main group. Yes, things happen to them while they try to make their rescue attempt and in the meantime we are seeing things from the past. And it does contain some plot points that make for quite the head twist if you are not paying close attention. And though I was paying as close attention as possible, I'll admit some of the bits of info we learn did throw me through a loop! Though by the end, it all makes sense and it helped to clear up that fogginess I had going!

The ending...this ending was unexpected, yet really not if I think about it. There were clues and hints that led to the epic conclusion, yet I still didn't quite put it all together. And when it happened...yeah. I will say that this ending was right and I really cannot touch upon that anymore than that.

Rachel Vincent has been one of my favorite authors since day 1, way back when I decided to give Stray a go all those years ago. And since then, she has kept me so entranced with whatever world she is writing in! The Menagerie trilogy was no different! It's definitely a series that makes you see society differently, though it's a world of pure fiction, you have to wonder...what would happen if it were true? Could we learn from the mistakes that the previous (fictional) society made or would be doomed to follow the same path! Whoever said fictional stories didn't make you think about real life realistically obviously didn't read many fiction books!

Fury was a heart-racing read from start to finish and I am saddened that the journey is over. But it just makes me more excited for Rachel's next adventure to begin! Hopefully that wait won't be too long!



Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars


Fury releases October 30, 2018