Roseanne A. Brown is making the jump into adult fantasy.
The New York Times bestselling author of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin has revealed the cover and new details for By Divine Rage, her first adult fantasy novel and the beginning of a new series called The Godsgift Cycle.
The book is set to release on April 13, 2027, through Del Rey in the U.S.
What is By Divine Rage about?
By Divine Rage follows two women, Eulia and Cleio, who have both been raised as pawns within a corrupt empire trapped in an eternal winter.
Eulia has spent her life being worshipped as the Godsgift, the reincarnation of a goddess who is supposedly destined to bring spring back to the frozen land of Iridia. There is just one major problem: fulfilling that destiny requires her to be sacrificed.
Once Eulia realizes what is actually waiting for her, she decides she has no interest in playing along.
Her escape eventually puts her alongside Cleio, a mysterious cursed warlock, and a scheming bodyguard as the group turns against the system that shaped their lives. Brown’s own description of the book sums up the general attitude pretty well: “the hot girl urge to burn it all down.”
According to the publisher, the story mixes dark fantasy and romance with themes surrounding generational violence, religious control, and the ways institutions can turn people into tools for a supposed greater good.
Brown says the story came from anger
In an interview accompanying the new cover reveal, Brown explained that By Divine Rage grew partly out of the anger women can feel after growing up in environments built around control and expectations.
That anger isn’t just background material for the book. It appears to be one of the major forces driving Eulia and Cleio’s story.
Brown has previously described the novel as being born from both her frustration with the world around her and her desire to imagine something better. The book also deals with subjects including colonialism, religious trauma, institutional abuse, and women reclaiming control over their own lives.
By Divine Rage begins a new fantasy series
The book will be the first installment in Brown’s adult fantasy series, referred to as The Godsgift Cycle. Brown’s official site also describes the story as the first half of a romantic fantasy duology, meaning Eulia and Cleio’s story is currently planned across two books.
The hardcover edition of By Divine Rage is currently listed at 496 pages, with ebook and audiobook editions also planned for release on April 13.
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