What fury brings

Women rule the world in the lusty, occasionally brutal, and often humorous adult debut from bestselling YA author Levenseller (The Darkness Within Us). Gen. Olerra Corasene is a potential heir to the throne of the dystopian matriarchy of Amarra, where women use the Goddess's Gift to bend men to their will. Amarra's enemy is neighboring Brutus, whose sadistic King Atalius recently lost to Olerra on the battlefield. Following that encounter, Atalius took out his rage by beating his sons, pretty poet Prince Andrastus and warrior Prince Sanos, who secretly hopes to overthrow his father. Olerra also wants to rule, but to impress the Amarran nobility she'll need to kidnap a man, tame him, marry him, and produce a daughter. Olerra decides to abduct Andrastus, but in a comedy of errors, drunk Sanos stumbles into Andrastus's place and soon finds himself bound, gagged, and tied to Olerra's bed. Per tradition, Olerra has three months to tame and marry him in a royal wedding, all while hoping no one discovers her secret: she alone has no goddess magic over men. Against all odds, a tentative mutual respect develops between these two wonderfully realized characters, leading to a believable and erotic romance. Levenseller's commentary on gender roles feels a bit basic, but she brings plenty of comedy to the role-reversal. This is sure to be a hit. (Sept.)

A woman from a matriarchal society kidnaps a prince from a neighboring kingdom, planning to force him into marriage. Five hundred years ago, the wife of the abusive king of Amarra prayed to her goddess for mercy; in return, the goddess granted every woman in the country the ability to rule over men. Amarra's queens have governed with vengeance ever since, creating a fiercely violent matriarchy. Now, 21-year-old Olerra Corasene, a gifted military strategist and powerful general, is competing with her cunning and devious cousin, Glenaerys, to be the next queen. Since Glen is trying to secure the throne by currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time-honored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good-looking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king's eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he's treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He's dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can't understand Sanos' objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller's first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women's rage. A book about revenge that's more punishing than purposeful. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.