Thank you so much to Claire Legrand for providing a physical ARC of this book as a giveaway prize!
One-Sentence Summary:
In a dystopian society prioritizing the safety of men and the obedience of women, newly appointed Saint Amity finds out about witches close to her home that could change her entire world.
My Review:
First off, are you familiar with Elana K. Arnold? If you like Arnold, I’d highly recommend this, but if not, you should know it’s a very different book from the Empirium Trilogy or even Sawkill Girls. As someone who couldn’t care less what Claire writes as long as it’s hers and has read Elana K. Arnold because of Queen Legrand herself, I had no issues, but this book does contain some potentially triggering content (manipulation, physical assault, ritualistic harm, religious cults, body horror). If you’re still interested, keep reading!
The longer it’s been since I read this book, the more I like it. I’ll start off critiquing the smallest element: romance. There’s a very low key F/M plot line and two F/F relationships, but none take center stage. Given that the point of the book is revenge, empowerment, and escaping the religious cult the girls were born into, it’s unsurprising that the romance isn’t the most important aspect, but it’s still beautiful, as are the many friendships forged. I like it that way though; again, the point isn’t romance at all.
In terms of plot, there’s a lot of it! The genre of this book is somewhat abstract besides the thriller/horror lens. Extasia takes place in a potential future in which the world was wiped out and only some villages survived, this one choosing to blame the end of the world on women and isolating themselves. Amity, our main character, discovers that two of her peers might be conspiring against the Elders, so, naturally, she ends up entrenched in a plot to summon the Devil.
Honestly, I loved the plot of this book. While it was probably not the ideal kind of female empowerment, there was a lot of revenge and journeys of self-discovery. Amity knows absolutely nothing about the extasia and the users of it, so her discovery of magic is alongside the reader’s. Although I know some don’t agree in regards to Furyborn, Legrand is great with making plot and worldbuilding both intricate and understandable. I did have a bit of a hard time with the applications of magic on the village, but overall, it wasn’t enough to hinder my enjoyment of the book.
Characters now! One thing Legrand excelled at here was character development. Everyone had so much depth to begin with, but Queen Claire had no trouble making sure secrets stayed revealed until they couldn’t be and everyone had their own personal journey. There was a moment at the end that I thought, while special, was a little forced, but otherwise, I loved how everything progressed. I honestly didn’t really like most of the characters as people, but again, it’s kind of the point. I loved seeing them all grow, though, and Legrand is a master of the corruption arc.
This book definitely has a lot of trigger warnings to check out, but if you’re looking for a dark, dystopian story with witches and vengeance, look no further. In regards to similarity to Legrand’s other work, I’d again say it’s more Sawkill Girls than Furyborn, but fans of recommendations that Claire has given like The Mercies and Red Hood would probably be big supporters of Extasia. Honestly, this isn’t the kind of book that I usually read (epic fantasy and romance gal here), but I will read anything Claire Legrand writes and always rate it (honestly) 4⭐ and above!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5
I am beyond honored to get to review a book by my favorite author, thank you so much to Claire Legrand for running the signed ARC giveaway for the cover reveal and to HarperTeen for publishing more books by the greatest author ever!
The Fiction Feature 