The following version of the book was used to make this guide: Legrand, Claire. Furyborn. Sourcebooks, 2018. Kindle.

The novel begins with a prologue in which Queen Rielle of Celdaria gave birth to her daughter. Simon, the healer’s son, came in and saw the child and hoped that now he and his father could flee the city. But an angel named Corian entered his father’s head and discovered that he was a marque, a human-angel hybrid. Simon’s father threw himself out a window before Corian could realize Simon was also a marque. Rielle gave her daughter to Simon and asked him to flee with her to Borsvall. Corian came into the room and demanded she give him the child. Rielle blew herself up with her magical powers so that Corian would not be able to read her mind. Simon took the child and tried to use his magic to transport to Borsvall, but instead moved through time.

The first chapter goes back in time two years. From here on out, the chapters alternate between third-person perspectives following the lives of Rielle and Eliana. Rielle has more power than any other person alive, and is able to control all seven elements, but her father makes her control herself because her powers are dangerous, as she learned when she accidentally set her house on fire and killed her mother when she was just five. She decides to disobey her father and enter a horse race. She is in love with Prince Audric, her dear friend, who is engaged to her best friend, Ludivine. Rielle joins the race with Audric. Halfway through, she sees a team of assassins attempting to kill Audric. Her powers explode and she saves him, but the king and his council are furious with her for lying about her powers because there is a prophecy that promises two queens will be born with access to all seven elements, one with the power to save the world, and the other with the power to destroy the world. In order to find out which one she is, the Archon concocts a series of trials to test her loyalty and power. She was sent into the mountains and earthshakers tried to kill her, but she fought them off with the help of a strange voice that appeared inside her head.

A thousand years later in a country called Orline, in a time without magic, a physically indestructable bounty hunter named Eliana worked for the cruel and fascist Emperor to find and kill Red Crown loyalists. Eliana received instructions to kill the Wolf, a high-ranking member of the Red Crown’s council. She searched all over for him, but could not find him. Women and girls had been disappearing, and one night she comes home and realizes her mother is gone. The Wolf attacks her and asks her to come with him on a mission in exchange for him helping her find her mother. She agrees, and helps him sneak into the palace of the local lord in order to rescue Princess Navi, who has been posing as a concubine to gather information. A high-ranking member of the army, Rahzavel, nearly thwarts them, but Eliana and Simon kill him and escape the city with Remy, Eliana’s younger brother.

Rielle convinced the council to invite the city to see her trials. She conquered the ocean trial and the crowds cheered for her, and then she moved onto the metal challenge. She was placed in a dangerous labyrinth with three orphans who she had to rescue or they would die. She rescued them all and was overjoyed by the crowd’s response to her. The voice in her head revealed himself to be Corian, an angel. Rielle wanted him to go away, but she was strangely drawn to him and longed for him when he was away. Rielle kissed Audric in the garden, and was discovered by Ludivine’s father. Ludivine tol Rielle she knew the two were in love, and promised to help them be together. Rielle passed the shadow trial by using light, but then was tempted to kill the Archon with her powers. Corian urged her to do it, but Audric stopped her. Ludivine’s father kidnapped and drugged Rielle, then threw her off a cliff. She could not access her powers, but she begged for help and a winged horse appeared and carried her to safety. They returned to the city and Rielle nearly killed Ludivine’s father in the street, again spurred on by Corian and stopped by Audric. The king wanted to coronate Rielle, but she insisted on being tested in fire beforehand. Audric came into her room and they made love for the first time

Eliana fled the city and was taken to a refugee camp by Simon. She refused to feel sorry for the people there, and instead decided to escape and reveal the location of the camp to the Emperor’s man, Lord Morbrae. But when she is taken into his private room’s, he asks her to pleasure him and she agrees. When she looks into his eyes, she is transported to the Emperor’s balcony. Simon and the rebels attack Lord Morbrae’s outpost and Eliana apologizes and helped save the refugee camp. Next, she went to Rinthos where she stayed in the rebel Sanctuary. But when a woman asked her to investigate the disappearance of her employee, Eliana realized that the Emperor had been kidnapping women to experiment on them genetically and create a mutant army. Rhazavel came back to life and found her, and Nevi was kidnapped, but Eliana was hidden by a wraith named Zahra, who told her she was the Sun Queen, daughter of the Blood Queen Rielle. Zahra helped Eliana rescue Nevi, and then they all joined back up with Simon.

Rielle went to the fire test and was furious to learn that her teacher, Tal, was tied up in a maze and would burn if she did not save him. She fought her way through the flames and saved him, but then chaos broke out all around. Corian infiltrated countless heads and made fights break out all over the place. Rielle tried to rescue Audric and Ludivine, but Ludivine was pushed over a cliff. Corian told Rielle she had to leave with him that night or he would kill everyone, including Audric. Rielle exploded and greatly injured Corian, but killed her own father and the king. In the end, Rielle was crowned Sun Queen. During her coronation, Ludivine reappeared and revealed that she was an angel invested in protecting Rielle from Corian.

Rhazavat caught up to them again, and Eliana left Simon to fight him alone so she could escape. She was captured by a group of men who turned out to be Astavarians led by Nevi’s brother, Prince Malik. They offered to smuggle everyone into Astavar, but Eliana decided to go back for Simon and send everyone else on toward safety. Eliana and Zahra boarded the ship Simon was on and killed Rahzavel. They escaped on a lifeboat as the fleet began to attack Astavar. As they reached shore, an army of mutants was released. Eliana fought them off, and was horrified to see that her mother was one of them. She killed her to save Simon, but then her powers broke free and she started a storm that killed all the mutants and ruined the Emperor’s fleet. She woke up days later with Simon beside her. He convinced her she really was the Sun Queen, and they kissed, then Eliana resolved to get ready to lead the rebellion.