cover image What Fury Brings

What Fury Brings

Tricia Levenseller. Feiwel, $31.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-250-37937-5

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.)